In the shadow of an old, pre-Civil War home, teachers are trying to dig up its history.
"This is supposed to be a trash site, so we're going to slowly work our way down and see what we can find," said second-grade Grain Valley teacher Kristi Clemens.
The Atkins-Johnson farm in Gladstone is now a museum, but the best relics from its past aren't in a glass case.
"Since this was here since the Civil War and before, you have a whole range of possibilities," said archeologist Jim Feagins, who helps the teachers in their search. "You're doing CSI kind of stuff, but you don't find the answers in one hour."
It's all part of a nationwide program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management and Montana State University.
It gives teachers hands on experience in archeology that they can take back to their students.
"Kids find something everywhere they go," said Clemens. "And so for them to know what they're finding could be beneficial for learning about their history, that's even better."
On this day, there were no major finds - just a few small trinkets. But it doesn't take much to write the story of the people who once called this home.
"Well you can say so-and-so was ill a lot, so here's some medicine bottles," said Feagins.
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Justin Wilfon can be reached at justin.wilfon@kshb.com.
