Crowell Workshop Leaving

Elmer Crowell Decoy Workshop Will Be Relocated In Sandwich

HARWICH – Admitting it is a big loss to the town, but citing an absence of local interest in preserving world renowned bird carver A. Elmer Crowell’s workshop, the historical commission has approved the dismantling of the structure in preparation for relocating it in the town of Sandwich.

“That’s a big loss,” historical commission member Bob Bradley said of plans to move the historical asset out of town.

Sharon Mabile, owner of the property where the workshop is located along Orleans Road in East Harwich, said she has been trying for a decade to find someone interested in relocating and preserving the structure.

Anthony Elmer Crowell (1862-1952) lived in the house where Mabile resides for many years and where Crowell honed in the workshop the craft of decoy carving. Crowell was considered the most versatile, consistent and prolific bird carver in America. Two of his decoys, the preening pintail drake and the sleeping Canada goose, were sold last year for $1.13 million each.

“I’ve been trying to speak out and save the building for the past 10 years,” Mabile told the commission last Tuesday. “The building is literally falling apart and I don’t have the resources to do it.”

Mabile said she has called the local historical society and Heritage Plantation and nobody came forward, there were a lot of dead ends and people saying they would call the next week. But no one ever did.

Last summer the A. E. Crowell American Bird Decoy Foundation, Inc. came forward Mabile said, explaining they have the money to disassemble the structure board by board and store it until they can locate a place and raise the money to create a museum in Sandwich.

“I feel very fortunate to have these people stepping up to the plate,” Mabile said. “I feel nothing but positive they’ll do right by this building.”

Jim Parker of the foundation told the commission they are negotiating with Heritage Plantation to build a museum and in the alternative they have their sights on a parcel of land along Route 6A in that community. He said Sandwich is the chosen community because there are several museums already established there and they have a police department suited for protection of these value assets. Parker said such a museum could have $10 million in decoys.

The plan, Parker said, is to develop a museum with a $4 million budget and reconstruct the workshop inside a climate controlled structure and have wax caricatures of Elmer Crowell and his son, Cleon Crowell, who sold decoys from that workshop, greeting people.

Parker said the idea is to model the decoy museum after a couple of facilities already in place in the Chesapeake Bay area. He said they have raised the money to disassemble the building ($10,000) and the money to reassemble and restore the workshop ($50,000).

Elmer Crowell did not grow up on this property, Parker told the commission. He lived about a quarter mile from the property. Though Crowell purchased it in the late 1800s and his son Cleon (1891-1962) was born there.

The workshop had been offered to the town as far back as 1962 for one dollar, Parker told the commission.

Mabile said she has a seven month child at home, who will be walking soon, and she is concerned for his safety because of the deteriorating condition of the structure. Parker said they would take the structure down with the commission’s permission as soon as they get a couple of clear weather days.

Parker said they have been provided a storage trailer to contain the flaked building until a decision is made where the museum will be located. Bradley wanted to know if there is some way to guarantee the building will remain on the Cape. He said it is important for the town of Harwich to have strings attached to the structure so it doesn’t just go away.

Commission member Brian Murphy said the documentation presented to the commission states the intent to move the structure to Sandwich and he recommended they adopt that language as a binding clause.

Murphy offered a motion to not impose the demolition delay of 180 days as the bylaw allows and to accept the documentation defining the content for use of the structure and its future location. The commission approved that motion.

“We give you a lot of credit for trying to save it (the workshop) over the years,” commission member John McGillen said.

“We’ll give Harwich all the possible credit we can,” Parker said of the foundation’s gratitude for the centerpiece of an A. E. Crowell American Bird Decoy Museum.

12/04/08