8 / OutdoorIllinois September 2006

ing from Illinois River Valley mastercarvers Henry Ruggles and Robert Ellis-ton. Charlie carved his first decoy, abluebill, from a charred piece of woodwhen he was 14.

At 15, he made his way to Chicago towork as a meat-packer and a carpenterand also to take painting classes at theChicago Art Institute. When Charliereturned to Henry nine years later, heestablished himself in business, makingduck and crow decoys and calls. In1902, he married Edna Haddon, theyoung woman who had been paintinghis decoys.

Charlie patented his crow call by late1909. About that time, he designed and

On hot summer afternoons in thelate 1950s, my sister and Iwalked to the local swimmingpool. We always waved to ourneighbors, a white-haired old

man and his wife, sitting in their frontyard in wooden yard chairs. Occasional-ly he unfolded himself from the chair,stood up and waved us over to show uswhat he was carving.

We would stop for a brief visit, pettingone of the cats purring under his chair,admiring the miniature ducks or tryingout a duck call he’d carved. Sometimeshe would give us one of his finishedminiatures or duck calls to take home.

Although we enjoyed his friendship,we didn’t understand the significance ofhis gifts. The old man with the halo ofwhite hair was Charles Perdew, one ofthe best of the Illinois River Valley decoycarvers. His wife Edna was the giftedpainter who brought his decoys to lifewith paintbrush and combs.

The calls, decoys and miniaturesthey created were the product of life-times of study, innovation and creativity.

Born in 1874, Charlie Perdew livednear Sawmill Lake as a boy, fishing,trapping and learning about decoy carv-

Visitors to the homeof this legendary

Illinois Rivercraftsman will find

everything fromhistorical letters,

Charlie’s boots—andplenty of decoys.

Charlesand EdnaPerdewMuseum

Story and PhotosBy Holly Schurter

Historic photos courtesyCharles Perdew Museum

Association.

Charles Perdew used river rock for the

foundation and chimney of his home built near

the Illinois River in Henry.

This photo of three Perdew decoys in Don and

Almira Cark’s collection appears on a poster

available at the museum and in the book Perdew,

An Illinois River Tradition by Ann Tandy Lacy. (Pho

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allih

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September 2006 OutdoorIllinois / 9

Utilizing volunteers and an initial$100,000 loan through the ExperienceIllinois program, the museum associa-tion began by clearing trees and brushfrom the site. Once again the IllinoisRiver could be seen from windows atthe back of the house. The river-rockfoundation, west wall and the porchwere stabilized.

A general clean-up of the propertyfollowed. Paints and brushes Edna hadused to work on decoys were foundlying around, as well as personal lettersfrom sporting goods retailer Eddie Bauerrequesting new supplies of crow calls.

“We built up a pretty nice demandfor the Perdew call,

built a home and shop at 914 FrontStreet in Henry, just up a hill from theIllinois River. Charlie used river rock forthe foundation of the house, which hadan expansive view of the river he andEdna loved.

“Charlie was a real river rat,” saysPat Wright, vice-president of the Charlesand Edna Perdew Museum Association.“He lived from the river.”

Charlie’s intimate knowledge of theriver allowed him to render the decoyshe carved naturally and accurately. Hisinnovative hollow-bodied decoys, fin-ished with Edna’s realistic painting, werepopular with hunters and guides. Orderscame in steadily, and visitors oftenfound the workshop and house piledhigh with works in progress.

Customers also wanted the crow andduck calls Charlie crafted. Beautifullycarved, and in some cases embellished,calls became one of Charlie’s best-known products. Perdew calls were—and still are—widely recognized as

among the best for calling down crowsand ducks.

Don Lashbrook, an Illinois native nowliving in Texas, says of his Perdew crowcaller: “There’s none better. It’s unbe-lievable for sound, even as old as it is.”

Recognized for their natural beautyand excellence, Perdew decoys andcalls are still prized, consistently bring-ing top prices at auction. In April 2006, apair of hollow mallard decoys sold for$120,500 at Guyette & Schmidt’s auc-tion in St. Charles.

Charlie died in 1963; Edna in 1974.Their only son Haddon left the houseand shop as they were, with newspa-pers and mail strewn around as if Char-lie and Edna would be back to readthem any time.

In 1995, two Henry teachers, JayMcCracken and Pat Wright, had growninterested in Charles and Edna Perdew.Recognizing their importance both artis-tically and commercially, they moved toform the Charles and Edna PerdewMuseum Association. Shortly afterward,the Perdew family gave the house andproperty to the newly formed associa-tion, with the stipulation that it be usedas a museum.

The association faced daunting deci-sions: The workshop where Charlierepaired bicycles and guns, producedbrooms and manufactured decoys hadfallen in and burned; only one wallremained. The house, as well as manyof its furnishings, had deterioratedto the point of instability.

The Charles Perdew Museum, built on

the footprint of the original workshop,

contains interesting memorabilia, including

a 1940 letter from Eddie Bauer.

The Charles Perdew Museum Association cares for

many photographs of Charles Perdew. Charles Perdew’s rocker, boots, books and

magazines appear just as he may have left them

after relaxing after a day in the workshop.

10 / OutdoorIllinois September 2006

the hollowing machine he invented inthe 1930s. Edna Perdew’s palette ofpaints and several of her paintings canbe seen as well.

Other items in the museum’s collectionreveal some of Charlie’s other interestsand endeavors. A double-bowed huntingskiff Charlie built in the 1920s hangs onone wall of the museum. Visitors also cansee the broom machine Charlie built tosupport his family during wartime.

Details of Charlie and Edna’s familylife are revealed in the violin Charlieplayed, a pair of small skis he made forhis son and a tandem bicycle he builtbefore his marriage to Edna, later usedby the family, that stands against a wall.

they have a real reputation here and I amso anxious to have a few for stock,” wroteEddie Bauer in a letter to Charlie Perdewdated Aug. 6, 1940.

That letter is on display in the newmuseum, which was built on the foot-print of Charlie’s original workshop.

Perdew decoys are on display whenthe museum is open, but the museum isabout more than decoys. Visitors cansee a variety of the tools and equipmentCharlie Perdew used and crafted. Handtools are on display, as well as the line-shaft powered with a gasoline engine, towhich he attached lathes, sanders and

His rocking chair and boots sit in a cor-ner just as he might have left them.

Charlie and Edna Perdew’s love forthe river and commitment to excellenceand craft are qualities worth learningfrom.

They are still fine friends to visit.

Visiting the museum

� The Charles and Edna Perdew Museum, located at 914 Front Street, Henry, isopen every Sunday from 2-4 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day or by specialappointment.� The museum welcomes individual visitors as well as groups of school children,teacher’s workshops and other groups interested in Illinois river lore. Call (309) 346-3261 tomake arrangements.� Donations are accepted and used to support the museum and for further renovations onthe Perdew house.� Perdew Days, Sept. 15-16, 2006 at Henry Waterworks Park and at the museum, offersa buffet dinner, an auction, Perdew decoy exhibits, carving demonstrations and duck callcompetitions. Phone (309) 346-3261 for details.� Museum Association Memberships, $25 yearly. Members receive a quarterly newsletterdetailing museum events as well as ongoing work on the Perdew property. A poster high-lighting the Perdew’s life and work is a perk of museum membership. A video detailing thelife and work of Charles and Edna Perdew is available from the association for $20.� For more information check the museum website at www.charlesperdew.com.

In the area

Interested in learning more about theIllinois River Valley? You may want

to visit other sites and events like these:� Annual Decoy Show, the largestdecoy show in central Illinois, held eachFebruary. Call (309) 364-3261 for infor-mation. The Perdew Museum is usuallyopen during this event.� Bald Eagle Days in Henry, usuallyheld in February at the Henry Riverfront.Phone (309) 364-3261 for information.� The Paint Store, 425 Edward Street,Henry, offers Perdew souvenirs. OwnerJim Cummins is a member of thePerdew Museum Association.� The Wheeler Museum, located inrural Putnam, open by reservation only,includes a display of Indian tools andarrowheads, as well as the burial site ofChief Senachwine. Phone (815) 437-2978 for information.� The Marshall County HistoricalMuseum (Lacon) offers visitors insightinto the early days of the county. Phone(309) 246-2349.� The Spirit of Peoria, an authenticsternwheel steamboat based in Peoria,occasionally stops in Henry for after-noon sightseeing tours and an eveningdinner cruise. Watch for SteamboatElsie’s lighthouse as you approachWaterworks Park in Henry. Phone 1-800-676-8988 or check info@spiritofpeoria.com for more information.

Holly Schurter is a freelance writerliving in Normal.

Displayed at the Charles Perdew Museum are

Edna’s palette, brushes and some of her original

art, and Charles’s glasses, two calls, a pattern and

the violin he played to entertain his family.