This spring, 26 residents and staff left the confines of Plough Towers and ventured into downtown Memphis to watch our own Johnnie Murphy become the honorary Duckmaster at the Peabody Hotel.

Through a very generous gift from a donor, we were able to rent a limousine bus from Tennessee Limousines, enjoy the morning in the Peabody lobby, and then have lunch at the historic Arcade Restaurant. It was an exciting excursion for all involved. Even life-long Memphians may not know the history of this daily event. Read on to find out more.

The Peabody Duck March is a tradition of this hotel that began in the 1930s by the then-general manager, Frank Schutt. It all started when Schutt and his friend, Chip Barwick, spent a weekend hunting in Arkansas. Upon their return, the two had a little too much whiskey and thought it would be hilarious to put some of their live duck decoys in the fountain of the hotel. Back then, it was legal for hunters to use live decoys.

Three small English call ducks – Peabody, Gayoso and Chisca, named for the three hotels owned by the Memphis Hotel Company in 1933 – were selected as test subjects, and the reaction from guests and passersby was complete enthusiasm. The rumor is that the ducks were not the first residents of The Peabody’s lobby fountain; supposedly, turtles and alligators briefly swam in its water in the 1920s.

Then, in 1940, Edward Pembroke, a bellman at the hotel, offered to help deliver the ducks to the fountain each day. As a former circus animal trainer, he taught them the now-famous Peabody Duck March and became The Peabody Duckmaster. He served in that capacity for 50 years.

Now, in order to keep Pembroke’s legend alive, the ducks still visit the lobby fountain at The Peabody at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. The lobby of the grand hotel is filled with guests each day to see this unique event. When the Peabody ducks are off-duty, they live in their Royal Duck Palace on the hotel’s rooftop. The marble-and-glass structure features its very own fountain with a bronze duck spitting water. It also includes a small replica of the hotel, where the ducks can nest in a soft, grassy yard.

There are currently five North American mallards living in the fountain at The Peabody Memphis. The ducks do not have individual names, and each team of Peabody ducks lives at the hotel for only three months. They then return to the farm, where a local farmer raises them, free to live as wild ducks. The Peabody Memphis recognizes its resident waterfowl as wild animals and does not domesticate the ducks or treat them like pets.

Did you know all of that? In addition to being treated like royalty during the visit, we were gifted a duck-headed walking stick, a specially created Peabody rubber duck, and a proclamation claiming that:

Whereas, the daily march of the world-famous Peabody Ducks is a time-honored tradition, begun in 1933 and attended by countless visitors, and Whereas, the care and protection of the Peabody Ducks must be attended to on a daily basis and can only fall to persons of high standards and great distinction, and Whereas, you are such a person, be it resolved that Johnnie Murphy has been chosen Honorary Duckmaster.

“Going upstairs to the rooftop with the ducks and being presented with the honorary proclamation was amazing! I was at a loss for words,” said Johnnie. “Before coming to work at Plough Towers, I could never have imagined loving a job as much as I do. I got paid to herd ducks into the lobby of the Peabody – I could never have dreamed that.”

Resident Sam Sansone stated that he enjoyed mingling with the residents and the total strangers that he met that day. “Seeing all of the children starry-eyed as they watched the ducks come down the red carpet was awesome.”

Again, this trip was made possible because of generous donors who contributed to The Plough Towers Fund, which can be used for special events. Renting a limousine bus is beyond the usual activities’ budget, but special donors made it happen.

“We are grateful for those who contributed, those to participated, and those who worked behind the scenes to make this a great experience for our residents,” said Plough Towers Executive Director Leigh Hendry. “I was especially excited to get to be a part of this fun day out, where we made memories we will never forget.”