Eagles of the 1800s
Hand carved by Vernon DePauw
Vernon DePauw is a self-taught craftsman who has been wood carving for over forty years. He grew up on a farm in Illinois where his father taught him the pride of working with his hands and his grandfather, who crafted wooden shoes in his native Belgium, passed on his talent for working with wood. Vernon’s first carving was a stylized swan he made in seventh-grade shop class. Since then, he has made carvings for gifts and for sale, and always for the love of his craft.
Vernon demonstrates his carving and coopering talents at historic
festivals across the Midwest. He is joined there by his wife, Kathy,
who hand-pieces traditional American quilts. View a schedule of
their upcoming shows here.
Vernon takes inspiration from historic pieces, adding his own style
to traditional carvings. His work includes home decorations, wooden
ship decorations, signage, and architectural reconstruction. Vernon personally crafts each piece using only hand tools. Each of his customers receives a quality, hand-made, one-of-a-kind carving by an award-winning American craftsman.
This carving of the Seal of the United States
was done by Vernon his senior year of high
school in 1974. A second piece was pro-
duced and presented to the the Farmer's
National Bank in Geneseo, IL.
