Decoy and Shorebirds
The Decoy and Shorebird collectionis made up of over 300 decoys and shorebirds in a variety of styles from different regions along the Eastern Seaboard.
Decoys are the main focus and make up the largest portion of the collection. Some of the most prolific and notable carvers of all time are represented, for instance Harry V. Shourds, Nathan Rowley Horner, John Blair, Ira Hudson, the Ward Brothers, and Hurley Conklin just to name a few.

Boats
Over the last 10 years we have accumulated over 45 boats of various types and sizes. This collection includes at least 30 Sneakboxes ranging in size from 10 to 15 feet.
Some are your typical duck hunting boat and others fit in a class as a recreationla sailing boat. Other boats include garvies, moth boats, two large charter fishing boats, a Hankins Skiff, Delaware duckers, scull boats, classic wood baots, a number of duck hunting boats, and one dug out canoe.
The boats also vay in condition; some are in great condition while others need to be restored.
These boats were made by a number of different boat builders ranging from very large-scale operations to people building them in houses and backyards. Many well-known and not so well-known builders are represented in the collection --names such as Perrine, Van Sant, Beaten, Hankins, Cramer, Heinrichs, Price, Hunt, Conklin and Ridgeway.

Baymen's Tools
Baymen's tolls make up a large portion of our collection. These are tools associated with workign the bay from season to season, for example clam and oyster rakes, clam and oyster tongs, shinnycocks, oyster drags, eel rakes, eel spears, crab traps, minnow traps, eel pots, shrimp net, seine net, hay sickles, hay forks, and many other similar arifacts.

Cultural Artifacts associate with the life in Southern New Jersey
Cutural artifacts represent possessions, gear, goods, hardware, and equipment. Artifacts like hand tools, household items and

The Jersey Shore Folklife Center and the Tuckerton Seaport is currently conducting research on New Jersey's Pound Fishing industry, both the Ocean Pounds and the Bay Pounds. Key to the project is documenting the diverse experiences of commercial fishermen in New Jersey from Scandinavian immigrants to African American menhaden fishermen from Virginia. One exciting component of the project was six interviews with African American Menhaden Fishermen who worked in New Jersey. The project was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission-Department of State.

The Tuckerton Seaport provides a variety of public and private, on and off-sirte tours and programs throughout the year. All programs are designed to provide unique, hands-on opportunities to experience and explore the culture of the Baymen and women as well as our natural resources.
Tours can be customized to meet your specific group's needs. We also offer outreach programs where our staff will bring the Tuckerton Seaport to you. You can learn about the horseshoe crab or how to weave your own basket.