We love decoys. Not to take away ANY fame from the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum – Decoy Capital of the World, which we think EVERYONE should visit, but our casual historian has a bit of a decoy collection himself.
One of the wonderful finds that George recently acquired at an estate sale is a book about one of our favorite local decoy carvers: R. Madison Mitchell – His Life and Decoys, by Charles Lee Robbins
it is a wonderful signed (by Madison) addition to the Havre de Grace History MuZeum located in Bahoukas Antique Mall.
Decoys have many purposes from functional to home decor to pure art! Below is a photo of a lamp created with the base displaying a beautiful duck decoy by R. Madison Mitchell.
Sink Box Duck Decoys
No, not for the kitchen sink. But let’s check it out.
and repainted for our casual historian by local carver, Pat Vincenti
The effectiveness of the water coffin
from The History of sink box hunting
In American Game Bird Shooting (1882), author John Mortimer Murphy writes, “…at Have De Grace, pay a license of twenty dollars a year for the privilege of using sink-boxes on the river during legalized days, which are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after the first of November until the season closes in March.”
The sink box was a coffin-like box meant to conceal a hunter just below the level of the water a whole new meaning to a layout blind. Larger boxes were ten feet long by six feet wide. Depending on the size, the hunter would stand or lay down in the center of the box.
Decoys—some made of cast iron weighing upwards of 50 pounds—submerged the framework of the sink box, concealing the hunter. Hundreds of floating decoys (a common decoy was the Canvasback) were dispersed around the framework. A typical setup of decoys would take the hunter well over an hour to set up. A coffee can was often needed for bailing water out of the box as it overflowed the barely-submerged edges.
The advantage of sink box hunting resided with visibility. Laying nearly flush with the water, the hunter’s head was down on the level of the decoys, just barely above the surface.
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp
Stamps that were signed by the hunter to allow hunting.
Noble Mentzer
A loved and respected local resident, Noble Mentzer, Grand Marshal of our Independence Day Parade several years ago, also loved to carve. These are a few of his carvings created for pins. If you’d like to watch/listen to the speech he gave at the 2017 parade, CLICK HERE.
William Schweers
A prized item in the decoy collection is this 1983 small decoy carved on a piece of wood by William Schweers who now lives in Germany. I think our casual historian will encourage him to return and visit the muZeum for a peek!
Jim McMillan
When Jim McMillan passed away in 2017, our casual historian was able to procure a number of items from his estate, including a number of carved heads and bodies.
But there is a prized possession that George has – a wood/porcelain swan created by Jim. This piece is in his home.
The swan head and neck are simply beautiful – carved by Jim. But there’s always room for a bit of humor!
Of course, there are plenty more decoy-related items in the Havre de Grace History MuZeum located in the front area of Bahoukas Antique Mall. You are encouraged to stop by to browse the muZeum items, chat with George – our casual historian, and shop our antique collection of collections!
Be sure to visit the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum for an amazing collection of decoys from around the bay, great stories, and even an opportunity to meet and learn from a carver. Vincenti Decoys, a long-time local business located at 353 Pennington, is the perfect place to shop for an addition to your collection or to start your collection.
And always REMEMBER, don’t throw the Havre de Grace ‘stuff’ out when you’re cleaning out a home, settling an estate, or just ‘downsizing,’ without checking in with George. Don’t give him cause to cry!!!
Our ‘casual historian’ is always waiting for your stories and any memorabilia you may want to share.
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