Skip to main content
Notice: The Library is open for research by appointment only, please visit our research services page for more information.

Hanford Engineer Works

 Organization

Found in 5 Collections and/or Records:

Crawford H. Greenewalt's Manhattan Project diaries

 Collection
Accession: 1889
Abstract:

Crawford H. Greenewalt (1902-1993) was an executive with the DuPont Company and president of the firm from 1948 to 1962. In 1942, when the DuPont Company agreed to participate in the Manhattan Project, Greenewalt was named chief liaison, working with the physicists at the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, including Arthur Compton (1892-1962) and Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), who were developing techniques for plutonium separation. The collection consists of eight volumes of Greenewalt's diaries, which describe the history of the Manhattan Project and the development of the United States' first atomic bombs that were used to end the Second World War. The diaries describe the technical history of the project, as well as the relationships that developed between scientists.

Dates: 1942-1945

E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Hanford Engineer Works photographs and films

 Collection
Accession: 1974-389
Abstract:

The Hanford Engineer Works in Hanford, Washington, was constructed between 1943 and 1945 to create the plutonium 239 and uranium 235 used in the atomic weapons needed for World War II. Sponsored by the Army Corps of Engineers, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company acted as the prime contractor. This collection contains two captioned albums, one of the Medical Division between 1943 and 1945, and the other of Hanford Yuletide Carnival in 1943. The films are various format copies of "War construction in the desert", created to document the building and running of the Hanford Engineer Works. Also included is a film of African American workers dancing in one of the mess halls and a farewell party of DuPont executives in 1948.

Dates: 1943-1948

Franklin T. Matthias papers

 Collection
Accession: 2086
Abstract:

Colonel Franklin T. Matthias (1908-1993) was commanding officer and area engineer of the Hanford Engineer Works of the Manhattan Engineer District. These are Colonel Matthias's personal papers documenting his work on the Manhattan Project. They include original declassified documents from Hanford and a variety of newspaper clippings and magazine articles collected by Matthias between the time he left Hanford to his death, reflecting his continuing interest in the Manhattan Project and nuclear power.

Dates: 1942-1993

Franklin T. Matthias photographs

 Collection
Accession: 1994-245
Abstract:

Franklin “Frank” T. Matthias (1908-1933) served as commanding officer and area engineer of Hanford Engineer Works from 1943 to 1945. He oversaw production of plutonium at Hanford to create the world’s first nuclear weapon, the atomic bomb. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs taken during the construction of the nuclear facilities at Hanford and the village of Richland in Washington state. Researchers interested in World War II, the Manhattan Project, industrial chemistry, nuclear energy, and company towns would find this collection useful.

Dates: 1940-1968

Hanford Engineer Works aerial photograph

 Collection
Accession: 2014-246
Abstract:

The Hanford Engineer Works in Hanford, Washington, was a plutonium production facility that was first constructed during World War II. This item is a digital copy of the aerial photograph of the Hanford facility.

Dates: circa 1960