the Morton Deck: A Place to Learn and Grow

In the fall of 1951, Potomac opened the McLean campus, its new location with 55 acres of rolling hills, to begin its first full year there. In her penciled notes, Headmistress Carol Preston wrote, “So now, as we start this forty-seventh year of our old school in its new setting, it is a good moment to assess our values and try to sort out those traditions that will help us define the present.”

Potomac had three academic divisions then, and students and faculty alike appreciated the expanded space for sports, scouting, science studies, and general enjoyment of the great outdoors. The following year, Miss Preston hired Dur Morton to develop a natural science curriculum. Later, with the help of students, Mr. Morton built nature trails that today wind through 10 acres of campus woodlands.

With additional land acquired over the years, Potomac’s campus now encompasses 90 acres. There are more buildings today than there were in those early years, but they are complemented by a robust forest, streams, ponds, and fields. In honor of Dur Morton's work, the Morton Deck was designed and built in 1998 by faculty and students. A raised wooden space with a firepit at the center, the Morton Deck can accommodate full classes for outdoor study, reading, and conversation in all seasons of the year. For more than two decades, Potomac faculty have used the deck to inspire a love of nature in their students.

This past spring, it was determined that the deck was showing significant wear and the time for a rebuild had come. Over the summer, Potomac’s environmental sustainability leaders, Albert Pingree ’01 and Sean Conroy; faculty member Cort Morgan; and several young alums who had seasonal jobs with the school’s Buildings and Grounds crew mapped out a plan and began reconstructing the deck so that it could be back in use later this fall.

To learn more about the deck's history and restoration, Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, spoke with members of the team about the project.

 

LM: When was the first deck built, and by whom?
CM: The original construction took two years of intermittent work by faculty members Sara Blanchard, Matt Eddy, and me, along with Upper School Outdoor Education students, using no power tools. We chose the elevated woodland location based on its beauty, its spatial and visual separation from other existing structures, and its relative quiet. The deck was completed in May 1998, and the original construction endured well for about 25 years. For a few years after its initial construction, we used the Morton Deck for Outdoor Education overnights, cooking food on the open fire, telling ghost stories, making music, and sleeping in sleeping bags there in many seasons, even in light snow.

LM: What was the original intention of the deck?
CM: The original idea was to create a well-situated K-12 outdoor place of many uses that would endure with minimal maintenance and be appealing to many people – all with a very light environmental footprint. We chose a location that in spring, summer, and early fall, with leaves on the trees, seemed hidden, secret and invisible from other parts of the campus, offering a sense of departure.

LM: Why was this deck dedicated to Mr. Morton?
CM: Dur Morton was a beloved Potomac environmental science teacher who, in fact, created our current woodland trail system. In the early 1950s, Dur foresaw the learning value for students of our varied geographic landscape, which in his day consisted mainly of old farm fields and two ponds. His vision, which has been realized quite well now, more than 60 years later, was that Potomac’s campus would have tall, dense woodlands, seasonal meadows, thickets, wetlands, and trails running through it all – on land that used to be quite bland pasturage where cattle once grazed. Over the years, we planted trees and nature was allowed to overtake areas of the campus that had previously been farmland. Along the way, these natural areas were consciously cultivated and nurtured to create the beautiful surroundings we enjoy today.

LM: Is this the first rehab done on the Morton Deck?
CM: Effectively, yes, this is the first significant rehab we have undertaken. A few falling limbs over the years prompted some minor decking repairs.

LM: What type of work did you do this summer? Did students participate in the rehab?
SC: With young alumni who worked on campus this summer, we took apart the existing deck, while carefully making note of its dimensions and construction. After cleaning up the site a bit, we’re about ready to build Morton Deck 2.0, which will be very similar, with just a few improvements to extend its longevity.

LM: What is your favorite memory of the deck?
CM: Probably camping out there in late winter with a few teachers and students after a light snowfall. Waking up in the woods with a lingering smell of woodsmoke and the fresh silence of a winter morning.

LM: Can you share one fast fact about the deck that most people would not know?
CM: Again, maybe that we did not use any power tools for the original land clearing, site preparation, or construction. We (teachers and students) carried in all the materials, including campfire stones brought up from the creek, and all the lumber components, which we measured and cut by hand. This explains some of the structure’s irregularities, which we simply accepted and loved.

Read more about Potomac's Environmental Stewardship program. | Send your favorite memories of the trails or the Morton Deck to alumni@potomacschool.org.

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