OFFICIAL ARCHIVE

OF

THE LAND NOW OCCUPIED BY

**DISCOVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL**

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **TIME PERIOD**                   | **LAND OCCUPIED BY**              |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **1980--Present**                 | Discovery Elementary School       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **1915--1980**                    | Airfield for Testing Planes       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **1730--1915**                    | Dairy Farms                       |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **? -- 1700**                     | Native American Village           |
|                                   |                                   |
|                                   | (Powhatan Tribe)                  |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

This area of land has been used for different purposes throughout the
centuries. The archives indicate that Native Americans were the first
known people to occupy the land. After the Native Americans were
removed, the land was used for farming (mainly dairy farming) for about
185 years. The land was owned and passed down within the same family
during the entire 185 years. For nearly 65 years, the land was used as
an airfield where people built and tested new aircraft. Pilots also
trained here during both World War I and World War II. The land now is
owned by the city and is used for Discovery Elementary School, grades
kindergarten through fifth grade.

**REMEMBER**, this type of research is extremely important. Studying the
history of a site before excavating helps archaeologists decide whether
they should dig and helps them identify any artifacts they find. So read
carefully, young detective!

**Dairy Farm**

From 1730­--1915, a large, family-owned dairy farm occupied this parcel
of land. The buildings were constructed in a common fashion for the
period: framed with large, evenly spaced posts set into the ground. The
dwellings most likely had chimneys of daub (a mixture of clay and straw)
applied to a stick frame. The family preferred the Milking Shorthorn
breed of cattle. They were the most popular improved breed in the
nineteenth century. Their size, strength, and intelligence made them a
prime breed for oxen. They can weigh about 1,400 pounds each! These cows
drink a bathtub full of water and eat about 18 kilograms (40 pounds) of
feed and hay and 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of silage every day. Silage is
a mixture of corn and grass that is stored in silos on the dairy farm.
On average, a cow is milked two to three times a day. It usually takes
about 20 minutes to milk a cow. To keep track of the lead cow, the
farmer hung a large copper bell around its neck. The sound of the bell
helped the dairy farmer easily locate the herd. The herd would follow
the sound and the lead cow back to the barn for milking.

**Native American Tribe**

The first known people living on this area of land were a Native
American tribe known as the Powhatans. They were farmers, hunters, and
gatherers. Because they farmed, they lived in settled villages. Many
Powhatan families lived in wooden longhouses. Men would spend their time
in the villages making and repairing their tools and weapons. The most
important weapons were the bow and arrow, used primarily for hunting
game. They made [stone materials]{.underline} into axes for chopping and
cutting, mortars and pestles for grinding, and arrow and spear points
for hunting. Deer provided meat as well as skins for clothing, [bones
for tools and weapons]{.underline}, and sinew for fastening tool and
weapon parts.

Harvested crops included corn, beans, squash, and sunflower seeds. The
Powhatan women dried or smoked many of these crops to use during the
winter months. Edible wild plants were part of the staple diet during
late winter and early spring until crops could be planted in the spring.
Women and children cared for the crops in the fields by using [tools
made from bone and wood.]{.underline} The women cooked the food over
outdoor fire pits (barbecues), and soups and stews of corn, beans, and
squash simmered in [large clay pots]{.underline} at the cook fire.
Breads and corncakes were baked in the ashes of the cooking fire. Unlike
our modern day pots, their cooking pots had rounded bottoms and were
pushed down into the hot coals and turned for even heating.

In 1607 when the first English settlers arrived, the Native American
village stood on a few thousand cleared acres on the east side of the
mouth of the river. In 1610, the governor removed the Powhatan settlers
from the village. Centuries of Native American occupation came to an
end.