If you travel to Roane County, Tennessee today, you will find Oak Ridge, a progressive city with modern day amenities, diverse culture, and world class scientists; but prior to 1942, the area was home to several small communities, ones that can no longer be found on a map. Wheat, Tennessee was one of those communities.
Originally part of the Cherokee Nation, Roane County was first settled by Anglo-Americans in the 1790s. Wheat, Tennessee, once referred to as Bald Hill, was known for its timber industry and peach orchards. The community was named for its first postmaster, Henry Franklin Wheat, and was home to three churches: George Jones Memorial Baptist Church, Crawford Cumberland Presbyterian and a Methodist Church that met in the same building.
Many families moved to the region so that their children could attend school in Wheat. The community was centered on education and eventually received accreditation from the state for Roane College, which served K-8 and collegiate students. In 1916, Roane College was replaced by Wheat School, which served the community until Christmas break in 1942.
By that time, most property owners had been notified by the federal government and forced to move. Due to the secrecy of the Manhattan Project, residents were told very little about the government’s need for their land. Some families had only two weeks to leave their homes, and were oftentimes not paid until the next year. Rarely did property owners feel they had been paid a fair price.
The following list includes families whose histories were recorded by local historian Dorathy Moneymaker in her 1979 book, We'll Call It Wheat. Click on the Segment Maps to locate and learn more about their properties in Roane County.

Family Names

Adams
Anderson
Arnold
Browder
Burns
Burum
Campbell
Carmichael
Christenberry-Questenbury
Crawford
Cross
Davis
Driskill
Evans
Freels
Gallaher
Grubb

Hagler
Heglar
Hembree
Holloway
Hope
James
Jones
Littleton
Magill
Matts
McKinney
Miser
Moneymaker
Montgomery
Naff
Phillips-Gilmore
Qualls-Silvey-Courtney

Reed
Richmond
Roberts
Russell
​Sellers
Shelton-Wilson
Smith
Stinecipher
Stubbs
Taylor
Walker
Waller
Watson
Welcker
Wheat
Williams