2019 Tennessee River
Memphis TN – Tradition of the Ducks at the Peabody Hotel
peabodymemphis.com: How did the tradition of the ducks in The Peabody Memphis fountain begin and how did it become one of the most famous attractions in Memphis? Back in the 1930s Frank Schutt, General Manager of The Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had a little too much Tennessee sippin' whiskey and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys) in the beautiful Peabody fountain. Three small English call ducks were selected as "guinea pigs," and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Thus began a Peabody tradition which was to become internationally famous.
