Right On Track

There’s nothing else like this in the world.” That’s what Kristen Harmon, director of The Warther Museum & Gardens, hears again and again from museum visitors from across the globe and those living right here in Dover.

“It’s one of only a few in the U.S. where you can see an artist’s entire collection as well as his home and his studio, all on the original land that inspired his art and his life,” Harmon said.

That artist is Ernest “Mooney” Warther, a master carver born in 1885 in Dover. After losing his father at age 3, Mooney soon began working as a cow herder to help his mother and four siblings, thus earning the nickname Mooney, Swiss for “bull of the herd.” After finding a pocketknife in the road, Mooney began whittling and never stopped. Between the ages of 20 and 86, Mooney whittled 64 scaled and working pieces representing the history of the steam engine.

Discovered by the New York Central Railroad, Mooney began traveling with his carvings while raising his family with his wife, Frieda, and eventually opened his museum on the property of their home in Dover.

“All 64 carvings can be seen at the museum,” Harmon said. “As Mooney’s great-granddaughter, I’m proud to continue this tradition and spread the joy this collection brings to so many. Mooney’s goal was always to educate people about the history of the steam engine and the contribution it made to the world, but you don’t need to love steam engines to enjoy the museum.”

Frieda is also represented at the museum. Born in Switzerland and the oldest of 13 children, Freida’s family moved to the U.S. and settled in Dover, where she met Mooney. While raising their family, Frieda supported her husband’s passions while pursuing her own. She began a button collection along with cultivating vegetable gardens, both with a nod to her Swiss heritage. Once the children were gone, the gardens were filled with Swiss-style plants and flower beds.

“You’ll see Frieda’s collection of more than 70,000 buttons in quilt patterns in our Button House, along with the garden beds with some of the original Swiss plants,” Harmon said.

Founder of the Dover Garden Club, Frieda, just like Mooney, educated the community by offering classes in wreath making, floral arranging and jewelry making.

“The entire property is a tribute to this creative, talented couple who spent their lives creating beautiful things and sharing their talents with others,” Harmon said. “Mooney never sold any of his creations. He said that if he started selling them it would become a job and not be fun anymore. My family is carrying on Mooney and Frieda’s goals of educating and sharing their passions with the public.”

The Warther Museum & Gardens runs educational programs and workshops throughout the year and the museum is available for events. w

The Warther Museum & Gardens is located at 331 Karl Avenue, in Dover and is open for guided and self-guided tours year round, every day including Sunday. For information call 330-505-6003 or visit the website TheWartherMuseum.com.