Currituck NC Waterfowling Museum -- Just Opened in July

Joe Friday

Joe Friday

Well-known member

Hello Everyone:

I had a chance to visit Corolla, NC last week, along the Outer Banks, and walk through the wildlife education center and the newly opened Currituck Maritime Museum. The museum focuses on the regional boat building and waterfowling history of Currituck County, NC, and has a dozen or so boats on exhibit with waterfowling memorabilia. The wildlife education center is across the parking lot from the museum, and focuses on the ecology of Currituck Sound. It also includes an extensive decoy exhibit from local carvers.

It's all well worth the trip, should you find yourselves in the Outer Banks area, including Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, Duck,..etc...

Here's a pictorial for your viewing pleasure:

From the Maritime Museum:

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And decoys from the Wildlife Education Center:

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Thanks, Joe~


Great photos. My sister lives down that way - and so a trip is planned "sometime".... We will be sure to visit this museum.


All the best,


SJS
 
I haven,t been down there in about 12 years but there also use to be a nice little museum over on Ocracoke Isl. dedicated to that areas carvers.
 
Bob Holzworth said:
Joe. Back in 1997 I donated the decoy pictured to the Currituck museum. They were just starting there collection at that time. Did you happen to see it in there contemporary decoy collection? Bob.
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Hi Bob,

Wow, I really like the looks of that bird! I don't recall specifically if it was in their exhibit, but there must have been 100 decoys in several case exhibits. There is also, I believe, an extensive decoy collection on exhibit in the Whalehead Club, which is also on the grounds. I didn't get over there to see it on this trip. One should plan to spend a good long morning on the grounds since it contains the Wildlife Education Center, The Maritime Museum, The Whalehead Club, and the Currituck Lighthouse. The Whalehead Club is an historic currituck hunting club, which has been transformed into a sort of museum/historic showcase building. I believe a very wealthy man from the north bought the club so his wife could duck hunt with him, since other clubs didn't allow women, back in those days. It was reportedly one of the most extravagant hunting clubs on the east coast.

Best always.
 
Joe. I found another photo of the decoy gifted to the museum. The photo has more info written on the back side, stating it was given to the "Whalehead Duck Museum" in 1978. The folks in charge let my wife and I tour the grand old building on our own. Repairs to the sheet copper roof were going on at that time and the building inside was a mess from long term neglect. At that time there were very few decoys and three or four duck boats to look at. I offered my Chesapeake decoys, on loan , but they would only accept them permanently. The feature I liked the best about that building was the weathervane duck on top of the building, connected to a rod that pearced the building to the ground floor living room and connected to a flying decoy that pointed the same direction as the roof decoy. Thanks, Joe, for awakening old memories. Bob.View attachment 16284334141121682528376.jpg
 
Bob Holzworth said:
Joe. I found another photo of the decoy gifted to the museum. The photo has more info written on the back side, stating it was given to the "Whalehead Duck Museum" in 1978. The folks in charge let my wife and I tour the grand old building on our own. Repairs to the sheet copper roof were going on at that time and the building inside was a mess from long term neglect. At that time there were very few decoys and three or four duck boats to look at. I offered my Chesapeake decoys, on loan , but they would only accept them permanently. The feature I liked the best about that building was the weathervane duck on top of the building, connected to a rod that pearced the building to the ground floor living room and connected to a flying decoy that pointed the same direction as the roof decoy. Thanks, Joe, for awakening old memories. Bob.
Click to expand...

Hi Bob,
I was thinking about it after my response earlier, and given that it was 1978, I figured it was going to the Whalehead Club. The last time I was on the grounds there, the building was still undergoing renovations--about 1994--if I remember correctly. There was no Wildlife Education Center, then, and the lighthouse keepers quarters was also being repaired. The amount and level of disintegration of the club and the keepers quarters was unbelievable...they were nearly lost to history. It's a lovely place, now.

best wishes, Joe
 
Joe,
Thanks for the heads up about the new museum. Some friends and I will hunt the OBX again in January. We shall put the museum on our list to do.

Larry
 
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