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Havre de Grace in Harford County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Lure of the Chesapeake

 
 
Lure of the Chesapeake Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by William Pfingsten, July 13, 2008
1. Lure of the Chesapeake Marker
Inscription. Canvasback ducks float quietly on the water
The hunter waits
Flocks of ducks appear in the sky, cup their wings and drop down to the waiting canvasbacks
The hunter's ploy has worked
For it was not real canvasbacks that lured the ducks but well crafted decoys

The Havre de Grace Decoy Museum is home to one of the finest collections of working decoys from the Chesapeake Bay area. The museum opened its doors in 1986 and through exhibits, education, and conservation the legacy of waterfowling and decoy making in the Chesapeake Bay has been preserved.

The tradition of decoy making on the Chesapeake Bay is over 100 years old and continues today. Working decoys were made for one purpose, to lure waterfowl to hunters. Decoys were not considered art but rather a hunting tool. Decoy making skills were passed down from master to apprentice with each carver creating his own unique style.

This heritage lives on in the "Decoy Capital of the World," Havre de Grace, Maryland at the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum.

Discover and enjoy this uniquely American folk art at the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in
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these topic lists: AnimalsArts, Letters, MusicNotable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1986.
 
Location. 39° 32.361′ N, 76° 5.201′ W. Marker is in Havre de Grace, Maryland, in Harford County. It can be reached from Commerce Street. Marker is on the Havre de Grace Promenade, a board walk from Millard E. Tydings Memorial Park to the Havre de Grace Lighthouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Havre de Grace MD 21078, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Luxury on the Bay (a few steps from this marker); Attack at Frenchtown (within shouting distance of this marker); Invasion at Dawn (about 300
Havre de Grace Decoy Museum image. Click for full size.
Photographed by William Pfingsten, July 13, 2008
2. Havre de Grace Decoy Museum
feet away, measured in a direct line); A Crucial Connection (about 300 feet away); A Perfect Location (about 400 feet away); Aids to Navigation Fog Bell (about 400 feet away); The Boyer Family Shad Shack (about 400 feet away); Birds by the Bay (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Havre de Grace.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Walking tour of Havre de Grace Promenade
 
Also see . . .  Havre de Grace Decoy Museum website. (Submitted on July 30, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,603 times since then and 8 times this year. Last updated on December 2, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.
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Jul. 30, 2026