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

Jackson Square

The Secret City's Headquarters for Commerce

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, February 14, 2026

1. Jackson Square Marker

Inscription. Town Center No. 1, later renamed Jackson Square, in 1945, served as the town's primary commercial center and social hub for off-duty residents. It provided 24-hour shopping. banking, entertainment, and a barbershop to a non-stop population. Jackson Square is part of the Oak Ridge Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. Designed by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merril, Louis Skidmore based this design on his hometown of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Although a modest shopping center by today's standards, following WWII, however, Jackson Square was used as a model and inspiration for new planned communities in other parts of the country, like Reston, Virginia.

[Caption]:
Jackson Square, with “Castle on the Hill”, Manhattan Project Headquarters in the background, 1945

Erected by Manhattan Project National Historical Park, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.

Location. 36° 1.748′ N, 84° 14.39′ W. Marker is in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in Anderson County. It is at the intersection of Jackson Square

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and Broadway Ave, on the right when traveling east on Jackson Square. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 243 Jackson Sq, 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 walking distance of this marker: Historic Oak Ridge Playhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Integration of Oak Ridge Schools (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); From Little Boy to Big Fun (about 400 feet away); The Guest House (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named The Guest House (about 400 feet away); The Castle (about 400 feet away); The Dormitories of Manhattan Project (about 500 feet away); Chapel on the Hill (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oak Ridge.

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, February 14, 2026

2. Jackson Square Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 16, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 51 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 16, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.