Oak Ridge in Anderson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Elza Gate

Gatekeeper to the Secret City

— Manhattan Project National Historical Park —

Elza Gate Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, February 14, 2026

1. Elza Gate Marker

Inscription. From April 1943 to March 1949, Elza Gate was one of seven gates allowing access to Oak Ridge, and the main gate to the townsite area of the "Secret City." Operating 24-hours a day by armed guards, all personnel entering these gates were subject to search. Elza, like several other entry gates guarding access to Oak Ridge, was named after local communities that existed there before the Manhattan Project establishment in 1942.

Other gate names included Edgemoor, Solway, and Oliver Springs. On March 19, 1949, the city opened its gates to the public with a large parade and ceremonial ribbon cutting at Elza Gate. The ribbon was "cut" with an electrical charge sent from the X-10 Graphite Reactor. Today, the location of Elza Gate is a busy intersection with some visible remnants of a time when the Secret City was once a restricted area.

[Caption]:
Elza Gate Military Police conducting a routine search, 1945

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Places • Science & Medicine.

Location. 36° 2.828′ N, 84° 12.436′ W. Marker is in Oak

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Ridge, Tennessee, in Anderson County. It is on Oak Ridge Turnpike, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 104 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge TN 37830, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee

and in Greater Knoxville.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Elza Gate (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Anderson County Poor Farm (approx. 1.4 miles away); Castle on the Hill (approx. 2.2 miles away); Integration of Oak Ridge Schools (approx. 2.2 miles away); Historic Oak Ridge Playhouse (approx. 2.2

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, February 14, 2026

2. Elza Gate Marker

miles away); Jackson Square (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Castle (approx. 2.2 miles away); The Dormitories of Manhattan Project (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Ridge.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 16, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 45 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 16, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.