Oak Ridge
Heritage and Preservation Association
November 8, 2007
Attendance: Margaret Allard, Ken Whitehouse, Peggy Whitehouse, Fanny Smith,
Lloyd Stokes, Betty Stokes, Ruth Ann Maddux, C. J. Maddux, Dick Raridon, Bill
Wilcox, Bill Henry, Barbara Walton, Anne McBride, Dave Miller, Keith McDaniel,
Harold Jernigan, Lynn Cardwell, Colleen Black, Ray Smith, Bobbie Martin, Richard
Schulman, Wanda Schulman, Judy Clevenger, Bill Tewes, Myra Mansfield, Jack
Mansfield, Mick Wiest, Dave Miller, Sheila Hutchison.
The meeting began at 7:10 p.m. in the Wildcat Den room of the Midtown Community
Center. President, Keith McDaniel presided at the meeting. There were 32 people
present (see attachment l on file).
Keith McDaniel reported the ORHPA membership will be voting to fill 6 positions
on the ORHPA Board of Directors at our December 13 meeting. A letter will be
mailed to the membership this week, announcing the election that is taking place
at the December meeting. The members of the nominating committee, chaired by
Lloyd Stokes, have worked very hard preparing for the coming election of new
board members. We are also planning to have a pot-luck dinner at the Dec. 13
meeting at 6:00 p.m. Contacts for organizing the pot-luck dinner are Bobbie
Martin at 482-4327 or bobbies arts@hotmail.com or Anne McBride at 482-5386 or
gosglor@comcast.net .
Keith also reported the Sign Committee, chaired by Anne McBride, is working on
gathering estimates for a ground sign for ORHPA, to be placed in front of the
Midtown Community Center. They are planning for the sign to have removable
tenant panels for the Local Oversight Committee and the Convention and Visitor’s
Bureau.
Harold Jernigan, Membership Chairman, reported we now have close to 200 ORHPA
memberships. Membership dues for 2008 are due in January 2008. If you paid dues
after October 1 of this year they will be credited for 2008.
Keith McDaniel reported there will be a Veterans Day event at the American
Museum of Science and Energy on Sunday, Nov. 11 from 2 to 4 p.m. Two of our
members, Colleen Black and Bill Wilcox will be featured speakers at the event
along with Cindy Kelly of the Atomic Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC.
ORHPA is co-sponsoring the event along with AMSE and the Atomic Heritage
Foundation. There will be a book signing for Cindy’s new book on the Manhattan
Project in AMSE’s lobby, after the event.
The lighted display cabinets, newly located in the back of the Wildcat Den Room
were donated to us by the “Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.” Howard Harvey spent
many hours cleaning, repainting, replacing glass and lighting them for our use.
We will be setting up heritage displays in them in the near future.
Keith McDaniel introduced Bill Wilcox to speak about progress on the Partners
for K-25 Preservation project. Keith noted that Bill was the first speaker to
use the new ORHPA podium (assembled by Keith earlier in the day.)
Bill Wilcox reported the PKP group met with the Dept. of Energy and DOE
consulting parties this week. There were about 30 consulting parties who
attended the meeting. DOE keeps increasing the cost of saving the north end of
K-25. Ten years ago there were 135 buildings that met the criteria for being
saved as historic places. Two years ago there were 9 buildings still left that
met the criteria. The PKP group, in March of 2005, gave up the 9 and just
concentrated on saving the north tower of K-25. This past Tuesday, Nov.6, the
PKP group made a proposal to save only half the north tower building. They are
expecting that half the building will still give them what they need to set up
an interpretive center on K-25 for future generations and visitors to the
community. They want to save 6 of the cells. The current estimate being quoted
by DOE is $124. a square foot, to paint the north tower. Bill and his team
(Howard Harvey, Susan Gawarecki, and Dave Miller) went into the north tower of
K-25 today. They dressed out in several layers of protective clothing. It was a
“wow” experience for them. The whole inside and out of the building has, in the
past, been photographed using IPIX technology.
Keith McDaniel introduced our guest speakers for the evening, members Jack and
Myra Mansfield to speak about their plans to build a John Hendrix Memorial
Prayer Walk on their property in Hendrix Creek. Jack was dressed as John
Hendrix. He spoke in character, as John, about his life here in the community of
Robertsville, before Oak Ridge was created.
John Hendrix was the youngest of 8 children. He left Morgan County after being
harassed by Northerners during the Civil War. After coming to this area he
married at age 23 in 1888. He and his wife had 4 children. After an infant
daughter died, John’s wife blamed John for the death. John’s wife left with the
3 remaining children and moved to Arkansas. After spending time in prayer and
meditation, John heard a voice telling him to spend 40 nights in the woods in
prayer. John did just that and after returning to his daily life he spoke about
his visions of seeing a railroad, factories, a city being built on Black Oak
Ridge and a very large and terrible war coming. He later remarried and had one
son, Curtis. John died in 1915 of tuberculosis. He was buried on top of a hill
looking down on his orchard.
Myra Mansfield spoke about the property she and Jack own, on the corner of
Hendrix and Heritage Drive in Hendrix Creek. Their research has shown the land
belonged to Curtis Hendrix. The property which was the backyard of Curtis
Hendrix’ home, has a creek running through it. In walking the property, Myra and
Jack have come across several found items including cedar gates with hand forged
hinges that date to the 1800’s, old window glass and barbed wire. They also
found an old farm road aiming towards where Lupton’s Crossroads was located (in
the area of what is now Grove Center in Oak Ridge.) They would like to build a
prayer walk along the narrow piece of property and place plaques along the walk
telling the story of John Hendrix’s life. They are working with their neighbors
and the city so there is an awareness of and input on their plans. They are also
interested in not disturbing the native animals that reside in the area or their
habitat. Eventually the goal is to build a prayer chapel on the property. They
would like to have information available to future visitors, featuring some of
the families that lived in the original Robertsville community. Myra and Jack
attended the Robertsville Reunion this past August in Clinton, TN and met some
of the original Robertsville residents and their families. They have also been
communicating with some of the descendants of John Hendrix, now spread across
the country. There is additional information available on John Hendrix on Ray
Smith’s website accessed through www.ORHPA.com.
The meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
The next ORHPA meeting is scheduled for December 13 at 6:00 p.m. and is our
annual election for board members. A member, who has been a member for at least
30 days prior to Dec. 13, may vote in the election. The nominating committee is
proposing recommendations for the 6 board positions, (these will be mailed to
the membership by Nov. 13.) Individual members may be nominated for the board
positions, from the floor at the December 13 meeting. Dues for the 2008 year
membership will be due in January 2008.
Thank you to Dave and Heidi Miller for providing refreshments.
Minutes Respectfully Submitted,
Anne McBride, Secretary,
Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association
November 23, 2007
