Sterling Morton Elementary is located in Mentor Headlands in Ohio. It is called the Headlands because the whole area extends out into Lake Erie about 800 feet. The Headlands was the first settlement in Mentor. In the 1790's Charles Parker, one of Moses Cleveland's surveyors, stayed in Mentor and built the first cabin in the Marsh Settlement. The Headlands is bordered by water on the south, east and west by the Marsh and on the north by Lake Erie, making it practically an island.
The marsh is 800 acres, five mile long by a quarter to a half mile wide. Through the marsh flows a slow moving stream called Black Brook. The Mentor Marsh is the only natural freshwater marsh along Lake Erie in Northeastern Ohio. In 1964, the marsh was designated by the federal government as a "Unique Natural Area." In 1971, the Ohio Legislature passed a law protecting the marsh as a natural region. The Mentor Marsh is home to many insects, plants and animals. The animals that are presently inhabiting the marsh are deer, muskrats, beavers, several types of woodpeckers, the great blue heron and even a bald eagle. The Mentor Marsh is by far one of the most fascinating sights in Mentor.