The Center for American Decoys at Peoria Riverfront Museum

Name: The Center for American Decoys at Peoria Riverfront Museum
Address: 222 SW Washington Street, Peoria, IL, 61602, US
Telephone: +13096867000

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The Center for American Decoys is dedicated to preserving the traditions of American waterfowl history through the art of the decoy, focusing on the Illinois River Valley.

10/16/2026

The Peoria Riverfront Museum has recently obtained several lithographic prints of Native American figures, which are now on view in Promise of Liberty!

These prints were produced by commission of Thomas L. McKenney, former superintendent of Indian Affairs, as part of his efforts to preserve Native American culture in the face of Euro-American expansion. This prints are copies of portraits produced by various painters, including Charles Bird King, and were available for purchase in a three volume collection.

We are excited to display this stunning prints and we greatly appreciate friends of the museum Seth Kaller, Arader Galleries, and Marc Leader, for making this possible!

Image 1: Posthumous portrait of Thomas L. Mckenney (1785-1859) by Charles Loring Elliott c. 1856

Image 2: Three volume collection of History of the Indian Tribes of North America

Image 3: Four Lithograph Prints of Native American Portraits produced by Courbould between 1836 and 1844 by commission of McKenney, now on display in Promise of Liberty

Image 4: Lithograph print titled “A Chippewa Widow”

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/

10/09/2026

Ted and Judy Harmon of Massachusetts were not only passionate decoy collectors and experts, but they were also successful auctioneers!

In 1986 the Harmons founded Decoys Unlimited, Inc. their decoy and sporting art auction company that quickly became known worldwide. With record-breaking auctions and an iconic logo, the Harmons and their auction company were some of the most well respected figures in the decoy world.

As always, we greatly appreciate Judy Harmon and her support of the Center for American Decoys!

Image 1: Decoys Unlimited, Inc. Logo

Image 2: Front Cover of Decoys Unlimited, Inc. July 2008 Auction Catalogue

Image 3: Ted Harmon at Peoria Riverfront Museum’s exhibition “American Decoy: The Invention”

Image 4: Ted Harmon, Judy Harmon, Zac Zetterberg, and Zac’s daughter Eliza at Peoria Riverfront Museum’s exhibition “American Decoy: The Invention”

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

10/02/2026

As part of the recent loan from the collection of Judy Harmon and her late husband Ted, the Center of American Decoys received a trio of Black-Bellied Plovers made by the renowned Burr Family.

This trio, believed to have be carved by Russ Burr (1887 – 1955), is a very interesting group as it shows the annual cycle of color change these shorebirds undergo. From left to right (see first photo) the decoys represent the winter, transitional, and summer plumage patterns of these birds. This is a wonderful example of how meticulous and skilled the Burr Family carvers were!

We are truly thrilled to host these amazing decoys and we are so grateful to Judy Harmon for the opportunity!

Image 1: Burr Family, Black-Bellied Plovers (ca. 1910)

Image 2: Burr Family, Black-Bellied Plover with summer plumage (ca. 1910)

Image 3: Real life Black-Bellied Plover with summer plumage

Image 4: Russ Burr with several of his miniature decoys

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

09/25/2026

We are excited to share that the Center for American Decoys recently received a wonderful group of Massachusetts shorebird decoys from the collection of Ted and Judy Harmon!

Ted Harmon (1943-2023) is one of the most well regarded experts in the decoy collecting community and he, along with his wife, have been leading figures in the world of decoys and antiques since 1966.

In honor of Ted, this display of shorebirds celebrates his passion for Massachusetts decoys and shares a glimpse of his expansive collection.

We are so grateful to Judy Harmon for the honor of exhibiting these stunning decoys and for her support of the Center for American Decoys. We invite you in to see the shorebirds, which are now on display!

Image 1: Judy and Ted Harmon

Image 2: Elmer Crowell, the Harmon “dust jacket” plover trio, ca.1910

Image 3: Fred Nichols, Feeding Yellowlegs, ca. 1890

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

09/18/2026

Anthony Elmer Crowell is often considered to be the greatest of all decoy makers and the “Father of Modern Bird Carving”.

On recent visit to Massachusetts, Zac Zetterberg was able to visit Elmer Crowell’s workshop, accompanied by Judy Harmon, a friend of the museum and supporter of the Center for American Decoys!

After marrying his wife, Laura Linwood Doane, and moving into the home of her father, Elmer Crowell turned the barn on the property into his workshop where he produced many of the carvings that established him as the greatest of all decoy carvers. Years after Crowell’s death, this workshop was purchased by members of the A.E. Crowell American Bird Decoy Foundation in 2008 to be eventually relocated and restored on the Brooks Academy Museum campus in 2014.

We are truly grateful to Judy Harmon for the opportunity to have visited the workshop of Elmer Crowell, as well as for the wealth of knowledge she shared with us!

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

09/11/2026

Did you know that there is a connection between baking soda and the Center for American Decoys? Well, believe it or not, there is!

The Peoria Riverfront Museum has recently received a beautiful collection of illustrated trading cards produced by Church & Dwight Co. These cards were included in this company’s Arm & Hammer Baking Soda boxes from the late 19th century well into the 20th century.

In addition to promoting the baking soda brand, these cards also offer a fascinating look into how everyday Americans learned about and developed an appreciation for a variety of birds during the same period when decoy carving was flourishing.

We are very excited and grateful to have been gifted such an amazing collection!

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

09/04/2026

We are excited to announce that the Peoria Riverfront Museum has received one of the largest museum gifts in our nation’s history!

Thanks to the generosity of Polly Barton and the Barton Family Foundation the museum now has access to a $5-million-dollar fund that will support our Every Student Initiative for the foreseeable future!

With this gift building on our ESI program, an estimated 25-thousand students are expected to visit the museum and its exhibits, including the Center for American Decoys.

We are extremely thankful to Polly Barton and the Barton Family Foundation for this monumental gift!

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

08/28/2026

Born in 1825 to a family of successful family of ship salvagers and market gunners, Nathan Cobb Jr. spent his career carving and painting most of the decoys his family used for hunting.

Nathan Cobb Jr. used materials salvaged from wrecks in the Atlantic as materials for his carving. He also used holly branches for the neck pieces, as well as imported German glass eyes, and brass screws. This combination of materials, in addition to the slight neck curvature he was known for, truly set his carvings apart from others of the region.

We are fortunate to have a wonderful example of Nathan Cobb Jr’s work: Black Duck carved in 1870. On loan to us from the American Folk Art Museum. However, this decoy and its companions from AFAM will be leaving next week, so this is the last weekend to see them. Be sure to stop in and visit the Center of American Decoys to take a look!

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

08/21/2026

Earlier this week, Zac Zetterberg traveled to Delaware to visit the Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library. He, along with Everly Davis, Katelynn Bouslog, and CEO John Morris were invited out for an in-person meeting of their Art Bridges Cohort, a group of six cultural institutions led by the American Folk Art Museum.

During their visit, these museums had the unique opportunity to collaborate and share ideas, as well as discuss several exciting initiatives planned for the near future!

It was truly an honor for the Peoria Riverfront Museum to be included at this collaborative convening at Winterthur!

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/newsletters

08/14/2026

One of the best decoy makers of the Illinois River Valley, Charles Perdew produced thousands of working decoys during his six-decade career, with his wife Edna painting them for 40 of those years. However, the Perdews did not limit themselves to only working decoys; they also produced many decorative pieces!

Some of their most well know decorations are the miniature decoys they carved and painted, which were often given as gifts and used to decorate offices, mantles, etc. Thanks to several generous friends of the museum, the Center for American Decoys has several stunning examples of these Perdew miniatures in our care!

Image 1: Miniature Decoys, Blue-Winged Teal Pair (ca. 1920)
Image 2: Miniature Decoys, Mallard Pair (ca. 1925-1935)
Image 3: Miniature Decoy, Wood Duck Drake (ca. 1935)
Image 4: Miniature Decoys, Shoveler Pair (ca. 1955)

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website today: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/explore/newsletters

Address

222 SW Washington Street
Peoria, IL
61602

Telephone

+13096867000

Website

http://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/exhibits-collections/the-center-for-american-decoys

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