For more than 50 years, Stephen Ward and Lemuel T. Ward, Jr. created hunting decoys and decorative bird carvings that made them world-renowned as masters of "waterfowl counterfeiters" and fathers of decorative decoy carving. Though the Ward Brothers were barbers by trade, like their father Travis, and neither Lem nor Steve worked as a waterman or hunted commercially, both were avid fishermen, hunters, and lovers of nature. Their love and respect for nature and their close observation of wild birds were reflected in the realistic forms and painting of their decoys. Their workshop developed in three buildings, beginning with the small building on the left where Steve stored his garden tools and the brothers did a small amount of carving for their own use. The center section had been part of the original barbershop, and in the mid-60's the brothers gave up barbering to carve full time, moving the barbershop back off the roadside and next to the original building. When space grew too crowded, Lem added his lean-to on the right side of the barbershop, completing the structure as it is known today.