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 at Peoria Riverfront Museum

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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.

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

08/07/2026

One of the most celebrated carvers of his time, Charles Walker of Princeton, Illinois (1873-1954) is believed to have produced at least 500 decoys over his five-decade career.

In addition to his many full-sized decoys, Walker also carved 10 to 15 pairs of charming half-scale replicas which mirrored his full-sized models, including several that are in our possession!

The Walker miniatures will be on display during an upcoming dispersed exhibit!

For more information, subscribe to our free E-newsletter on our website: https://www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org/plan-your-visit/newsletter-sign-up

07/31/2026

On July 22nd, the Peoria Riverfront Museum was visited by Jonah Rosenberg, Head of Rare Books at Arader Galleries in NYC. During his visit Jonah gave a spectacular presentation on “the most important map in American history,” the Mitchell Map, as part of our Museum Conversations series!

As an added bonus, Jonah also authenticated a rare 1780 map of the Great Lakes region, which had been generously donated by Jim Beard, a close friend of the museum!

We were honored to welcome Jonah Rosenberg to our institution and look forward to continuing our relationship with him and Arader Galleries. To watch Jonah’s presentation, be sure to check out the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s YouTube page.

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

07/24/2026

We are thrilled to announce that the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Center for American Decoys will be featured in a very special publication by PBS’ Craft in America Documentary Series.

In celebration of America’s 250th year, “Craft in America” has put together the phenomenal book Handwork: Handcrafted Objects that made America, telling the stories of objects that have helped shaped America. What is even more exciting is the fact that our very own Zac Zetterberg was invited to contribute an article about our Schoenheider Goose!

We are extremely honored to have been included in this spectacular book! Special thanks to Craft in America for this amazing opportunity!

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

07/17/2026

Captain Charles C. Osgood is one of the most well-known and skilled decoy carvers of North America. Unfortunately, he is also one of the most elusive as there is only handful of decoys attributed to him.

However, thanks to our partnership with the American Folk Art Museum in New York, we were lucky enough to receive two of Osgood’s rare works as part of a 50 decoy loan: a merganser hen (image 2) and a merganser drake (image 3), both dated to approximately 1880.

We are honored to host these wonderful Osgood decoys and are extremely grateful to the American Folk Art Museum for the opportunity!

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

07/10/2026

This past Saturday, July 4th, the United States of America celebrated its 250th birthday! For this momentous occasion the Peoria Riverfront Museum threw its annual Backyard BBQ and made sure to pull out all of the stops!

We festive food, drinks, shows, vendors, and visitors exploring all of our exhibits, including the Center for American Decoys! To top it all off we had perfect seating for the fireworks display to make sure that America 250 with the Peoria Riverfront Museum was one to remember!

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

07/03/2026

On Saturday, June 27th, we were fortunate to attend the “Conservation for a Continent Capstone Gala” hosted by Ducks Unlimited at the Glen View Club in Golf, IL.

This event was held in celebration of DU’s successful fundraising campaign and the Peoria Riverfront Museum was asked to send a delegation and bring a decoy. Zac Zetterberg, John Morris, and Eli Sadler attended the event and took our prized Schoenhieder Goose to share with the attendees.

It was an honor to be invited to such an amazing event and to have the opportunity to promote our wonderful institution. Special thanks to Ducks Unlimited and everyone responsible for making this event happen!

Final Image: Ducks Unlimited 48th President Dr. Rex Schulz

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

06/26/2026

We are excited to share that the Peoria Riverfront Museum and the Center for American Decoys will be featured in the July/August Issue of The Magazine Antiques!

This issue’s guest editor and CEO of the American Folk Art Museum, Jason T. Busch (image 2), graciously invited our very own Zac Zetterberg to contribute to the magazine. Zac’s article gives a succinct, but thorough glimpse into the history of decoys and their significance as a form of American folk art.

Jason is a valued friend of the Peoria Riverfront Museum and we are truly honored that he chose to include us in this commemorative America 250 issue!

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

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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