Toeing the water of my home pool in Williamsburg, Virginia, I grumbled that today’s swim would be hot as a nuclear reactor. Well, maybe not quite 10 times hotter than the sun, which according to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is what occurs in a fusion reactor. 

Still, the 94F water I was about to enter is not a swimmer’s friend.

So I remembered last weekend’s swims at a much cooler operation in every aspect of that word.  Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool, which I visited in 2021 and featured in a previous blog entry, is an enormous spring-fed respite, with water temperature typically in the mid-70s. 

Heaven.

As the largest spring-fed pool in the Southeast and the largest spring-fed pool with a full concrete floor in the world, its size will always astound me.

Stepping through that gate last Sunday, tears came to my eyes as I once again viewed the jaw-dropping expanse of six 100-meter lanes and 2.2 million gallons of cool blue oasis stretching left, right, and yonder, where people of all backgrounds relaxed, chatted, played, and worked out.

Gorgeous. Historic. Loved. One-of-a-kind. 

In all my swim-cations and historic pool research, I’ve seen nothing like the 80-year-old “Big Pool,” which boasts a history as unique as its size. As I mentioned in my previous post, the U.S. government created Oak Ridge, “The Secret City,” during World War II as one of the Manhattan Project sites. Attracted by good pay, workers, many of whom were young women, applied for the plentiful jobs and were brought by train to Knoxville, where they were then transported to the clandestine community, not knowing their final destination until they arrived. There, behind the security fence, they toiled tirelessly, not knowing that each task was a step toward uranium purification – fuel for “the Gadget,” later known as the atomic bomb. Because humans, not being robots, need infrastructure and support to function optimally, the US Army Corps of Engineers built resources such as schools, gathering places, and, in 1944-45, the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool. 

As a pool in the segregated South, however, only white families were permitted. Then, in 1955, nine years prior to the Civil Rights Act, the Atomic Energy Commission supported the city in opening schools and the Big Pool to all races. 

FIN FACT:
Oak Ridge schools were the first public schools in the South to desegregate. Check out http://www.scarboro85.com/ for more information! 

I learned that important fact from the man who checked us in at our hotel, Martin McBride. Now retired from the Department of Energy, he also happens to be on the board of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association. Knowing the purpose of my visit, he happily told me of his own research and writing, his love of the pool and the memories he has there.

And that’s the message from everyone I’ve met while communicating about the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool since my first happenstance visit three years ago.

They love this pool and want it to stay. “Fix the pool. Don’t take it away,” is the theme of the growing 3,300-member “Save the Oak Ridge Pool” Facebook group.

The issue: the Big Pool needs costly repairs, and its fate remains uncertain as City Council and citizens continue to debate whether to fix the pool, maintain its sizable footprint, or change it into a very different aquatic facility. 

If the Big Pool is taken down or altered beyond recognition, it will be gone forever, which according to many Oak Ridgers I’ve met, would be a giant loss for their community. 

Living an eight-hour drive away, I can’t drop in for an afternoon plunge, so why do I care? 

Last week’s second visit made it clear that I have dived deep, not just into the refreshing water of the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool, but into the local preservation effort. After I visited for the first time, I connected with the Save the Oak Ridge Pool group on Facebook, and found a passionate community that feels like I do, especially Denise Dunlap-Billings, the creator of the group.

Then, after my first blog post about this pool, I was contacted by local digital marketing professional David Pappas. He is so passionate about the Big Pool that he built an incredible AI-powered storytelling platform about it, and he asked me if I’d join him as the project historian. I jumped at the chance, as did attorney Ram Uppuluri and engineer and pool operator Bradford Woods, eager to spread the word, to tell the story of this incredible pool. My husband Brendan, who teaches public relations at Old Dominion University, then waded in to help, along with ODU graduate student Sadaf Khuram. The site launched this morning, and it’s fantastic! Dive in at https://thebigpoolstory.com ! 

Now, somehow, we are working with these motivated, talented Oak Ridgers to help preserve their pool! On Monday night, Brendan and I met David and Denise in person for the first time when we had pizza at Big Ed’s. It’s daunting, touching, and somewhat unbelievable, and I love every minute of it!

And I can’t help but wonder… Oak Ridge has a tradition of technology and innovation. Nuclear research continues at the OR National Laboratory, which has the world’s fastest supercomputer, advancing knowledge in medicine, physics, climate change, and much more. Maybe that computer can spit out a fix for filtration and leakage problems so the Big Pool can be a treasure for many future generations.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Cutting-edge research and Frontier, the world’s fastest supercomputer!

Location: 
Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool 
172 Providence Rd
Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
(865) 425-0554

Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks:
https://orrecparks.oakridgetn.gov/history-of-the-oak-ridge-outdoor-pool/

References and for more information:

Check out the new website built by David Pappas!
https://thebigpoolstory.com

My first blog entry about Oak Ridge Outdoor pool:  https://swimhistorygirl.blog/2024/01/10/o/

McBride, M. (2013). The Secret City Tour Guide. Precision Printing.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory:
https://www.olcf.ornl.gov/2017/06/27/how-hot-is-too-hot-in-fusion/

American Museum and Science and Energy bus tours:
https://amse.org/bus-tours/

I highly recommend this fascinating book about Oak Ridge:
Kiernan, D. (2020). The girls of atomic city: The untold story of the women who helped win World War II. Simon & Schuster. 

Many thanks to Denise Dunlap Billings, David Pappas, Bradford Woods, Ram Uppulari, Martin McBride, and all the other Oak Ridgers who talked with us during our visit!