Science teacher Don Wertz and social studies teacher Larry Taulman grew up in Johnson County and lived next to Edinburg and Camp Atterbury when it was in operation. What became known as "The Atterbury Files" began when these two teachers started gathering information for a field trip to the old army base that had been active when they were students. In 1976, they initiated interdisciplinary field trips to the base, which allowed students to use the resources of their local community as a curriculum to learn more about science and social studies. This project was important for the community because it preserved and disseminated its history. The students met a need for the community that the community had not recognized or filled. When students filled this need, they used the expertise of community historical groups, listened to local citizens, and worked to organize material that had not been explored. In an area that lacks professional historians, students contributed their best efforts to the community, and the community had an opportunity to see young people at their most altruistic.