June 3

Peabody Hotel

Memphis, TN

The Peabody is a luxury hotel in downtown Memphis known for the “Peabody Ducks” that live on the hotel rooftop and make daily treks to the lobby.

The hotel, opened in 1925, is an Italian Renaissance structure.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Peabody is best known for a custom dating back to the 1930s.   Frank Schutt, the general manager at the time, had just returned from a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas.  Schutt, along with some friends, found it amusing to leave three of their live English Call Duck decoys in the hotel fountain.  The guests loved the idea and since then five Mallard ducks have played in the fountain every day.

In 1940, Edward Pembroke, a Bellman volunteered to care for the ducks.  He was given the position of “Duckmaster” and served in that position until 1991.  He taught the ducks to march into the hotel lobby starting the famous Peabody Duck March.

Every day at 11am, the Peabody Ducks are escorted from their penthouse home, on the Plantation Roof, to the lobby via elevator accompanied by King Cotton March by John Philip Sousa, and then proceed across a red carpet to the hotel fountain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 5pm the ducks are then led back to their penthouse.

 

In 2008 the hotel unveiled a new “Duck Palace” for the 75^th anniversary of the duck tradition.  

 

 

 With an estimated cost of $200,000, the 12 by 24 enclosure features granite flooring, a scale replica of the hotel, a fountain decorated with a pair of bronze ducks and a large viewing window for guests to see them.

The hotel rooftop is often used as a space for bands and other musical acts.