Warther Museum& Gardens

More than 100,000 people who tour the Ernest Warther Museum & Gardens each year are treated to a slice of Americana, an enriching glimpse of an inspirational artist, and an invaluable history lesson.

According to Museum Director Kristen Moreland, who is the great-granddaughter of Ernest Warther, since he never sold any of his 64 pieces, it’s rare to be able to showcase an artist’s complete collection in its entirety.

Ernest “Mooney’s” origin story is legendary, a triumph over tragedy tale. Born in 1885, the youngest of five in a one-room schoolhouse in Dover, Ohio, his father passed away when he was just three years old. Circumstances drove Mooney to begin work as a cow-herder at the age of five. One fateful day, while taking the cows out, he found a rusty pocketknife in the dirt, which would change the course of his life. He began carving. 

Since the B&O rail line went right through his backyard, Mooney’s fascination with how this great invention changed human civilization was a natural.

His carvings of scaled and working representations of steam locomotive history were created between 1905 and 1971, when he was between the ages of 20 and 86. He traveled around the country with his carvings, raised a family and opened his own museum in 1936 that attracted people from all over the world. His wife Frieda was also an artist; she collected buttons and created beautiful quilt-like designs.

Their son Dave carried on the carving tradition and expanded the original one-room museum to handle the increase in people who flocked there. Dave’s daughter Carol Warther Moreland and her husband Dana continued to expand the legacy of her grandfather.

Today the museum showcases the carvings and gives visitors a glimpse into Mooney Warther’s life through photos, a film, a look into his original workshop—left untouched since he passed away in 1973, surrounding gardens and gift shop.

During a guided tour, visitors peruse his exquisite carvings, which are made from ivory, ebony and walnut. They have been appraised as priceless works of art by the Smithsonian Institute. Key amongst them is his famous Plier Tree sculpture that was showcased at the 1913 Chicago World’s Fair. From one block of wood, he carved 31,000 cuts to create 511 interconnected pliers. 

Another famous carving depicts the funeral train that carried President Abraham Lincoln’s body from Washington D.C. to its resting place in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois in 1865.

Situated on the museum’s grounds, visitors will also enjoy the Button House, which features more than 73,000 buttons showcased in the artwork of Frieda. Quilters, crafters and button enthusiasts have toured the house since it opened in 1963.

And spread over five acres of lush grounds, she is also responsible for designing, planting and maintaining the Swiss style of gardens. What began as a vegetable garden to feed her family over the years grew into breathtaking gardens of thousands of annuals and perennials and a level 1 arboretum. Studded throughout the grounds are a circa 1927 B&O caboose and what was the original telegraph office.

To bring a souvenir of the experience home, the Museum Gift Shop features wood carvings, replicas of the pliars depicted in Mooney Warther’s art, wooden boxes, pottery and gift-worthy items.

Open seven days a week, the Warther Museum & Gardens is the perfect destination on any tour of Ohio’s Amish Country for individuals, families or groups.