Ernest Warther Museum & Gardens

Ernest Warther Museum & Gardens www.thewarthermuseum.com Turn of the century Dover, Ohio was like most small towns of the day. Warther Museum is like no other museum in the world.
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Residents worked hard, believed in progress, took pride in their community and sat down together to enjoy the evening meal. Such was the case for one of Dover’s most famous residents, Ernest “Mooney” Warther. Born in 1885 to Swiss immigrants, Mooney, as he was known to all, would leave a mark in the community that is still visible to this day. Mooney found his way out of the steel mills where he w

orked and into his workshop where he began making knives in order to make carvings of ebony, ivory, and walnut, a hobby that would later make him a recognizable figure across the nation. With only a second grade education, Mooney would become a master carver that can only be explained through his genius. Noted professors from Case Western Reserve explained the degree of skill in the creation of the pliers tree, one of Mooney’s more unique carvings, would require an advanced degree in mathematics. His talent lives on in members of his family and his story is told in a family-friendly museum that celebrates the life of this remarkable man. Situated on eight acres in the tree-lined residential neighborhood where Mooney once lived, the Swiss chalet-styled Warther Museum gives visitors a glimpse into the life of Mooney, his wife Frieda and their family. Still operated by the third and fourth generation of the Warther family, Warther Museum features Mooney’s home, restored to appear as it would when he and Frieda started their life together. Mooney’s original workshop, built in 1912, features his tools, an extensive collection of Native American arrowheads and the fireplace where he would forge the steel he used in the kitchen knives. In the museum are the priceless collection of 64 ebony, ivory, and walnut trains carved by Mooney at different stages of his life. Each carving is painstakingly accurate with moving parts that are remarkably to scale. The truly unique button house is home to Frieda Warther’s collection of more than 73,000 buttons displayed on the walls and ceiling of the quaint structure located just outside the original Warther home on the edge of the garden. Throughout every season of each year, the Swiss styled garden is meticulously maintained. It remains a dear reminder to the Warther family of their proud Swiss heritage.

Our tour times remain at 9:30am, 11am, 12:30pm, 2pm, and 3:30pm throughout the month of September. We are open our norma...
08/31/2026

Our tour times remain at 9:30am, 11am, 12:30pm, 2pm, and 3:30pm throughout the month of September. We are open our normal operating hours on Labor Day from 9am to 5pm.

08/30/2026

Hand-carved replica of the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company in Dover, Ohio by Ernest "Mooney" Warther. He designed the mechanization and carved this piece in 9 months time.

08/29/2026

The Plier Tree! 31,000 cuts in 64 days to create a tree of 511 pairs of pliers from a single block of wood!

On this date, August 28, in 1913 Ernest Warther finished what he called “The Plier Tree.” As a young boy, Warther discov...
08/28/2026

On this date, August 28, in 1913 Ernest Warther finished what he called “The Plier Tree.” As a young boy, Warther discovered how to cut a single pair of pliers from a block of wood. But he mastered that and wanted to keep adding more pliers into one block. At age 27, he spent 64 days creating this tree of pliers. After placing 31,000 cuts in a single block of wood, he unfolded 511 pairs of pliers. All these pliers are connected and will fold back into the single block of wood. He didn’t cut anything out of the block, and he didn’t produce any shavings. For him, he could see this in his mind before he created it. To others, even mathematicians and engineers, they can’t see how he would have been able to create it. “The Plier Tree” is one of the most interesting pieces within the museum.

08/26/2026

Who doesn't love this gorgeous plant?! Amaranthus! Also known as "Love Lies Bleeding" and is one of Frieda's that has been on the property, seeding off for over 100 years. 🌸

The holiday season will be here before you know it! If you need a great place to host a party, whether it is for a compa...
08/25/2026

The holiday season will be here before you know it! If you need a great place to host a party, whether it is for a company get-together or family, we have a great place for it! We decorate our event center for the holidays so you can add to it, change it, or leave it as is to make for a quick and easy party! We would love to host your next celebration!

08/24/2026

The Mighty American Sycamore. This one is over 175 years old!

Frieda Warther put in the first garden on the property in 1912. 114 years later and we continue this tradition today. Th...
08/23/2026

Frieda Warther put in the first garden on the property in 1912. 114 years later and we continue this tradition today. There was hardly any grass in the Warther backyard, and we strived to keep it that way. We lovingly put in over 4,000 annuals each year to adorn Frieda’s perennials, shrubs, and trees. These Swiss and Alpine style gardens sit atop terraced walls that overlook the historic Calico Ditch and the Dave Warther Arboretum, which is dotted with a B&O Caboose, B&O Telegraph Office, a Greer Steel yard engine, and handcar. All of this greets you before you even step foot inside the museum!

08/23/2026

Is that a hand-carved replica of the UP Big Boy? Yeah it is! This perfectly to scale, hand-carved and mechanized piece was created by Ernest "Mooney" Warther in 1953. This stunning piece has to be seen in person to believe its beauty!

08/21/2026

Our extended Christmas sale in the gift shop runs through August 31st! Stop by the museum gift shop and take a look! All holiday items are 20% now through the end of August!

Address

331 Karl Avenue
Dover, OH
44622

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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