Click to Enlarge

Warther Carvings and Gardens: A must-see for all

Rarely does the phrase “something for the whole family to enjoy” ring true; however, in the case of Warther Carvings & Gardens, the popular phrase is more than accurate. With a state-of-the-art facility that showcases 64 ebony, ivory and walnut train carvings created by the “World’s Master Carver,” thousands of beautiful flowers on display from spring through fall, impressive collections of buttons and arrowheads, a full-size locomotive and caboose for kids to play on, a world-class knife-making operation, and a gift shop, it is easy to see why Warther Carvings & Gardens is a popular destination for visitors to the area.

Located in a beautiful Swiss chalet-style building in Dover, Warther Carvings & Gardens is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For just $9 for adults, $5 for students ages 7 to 17 and no cost for children under 7, visitors can participate in a one-hour guided tour of a one-of-a-kind collection of carvings that has been appraised by the Smithsonian Institute as a “priceless work of art.” The facility is easily accessible to visitors in wheelchairs or strollers, and photography is allowed.

Tours illustrate the life and times of the late Master Carver Ernest “Mooney” Warther, an artistic genius who worked on his carvings as a hobby throughout his lifetime. Guests can see his original workshop, which was built in 1912. Ernest’s youngest son Dave Warther and his family run the museum, and it is not unusual to find one of Ernest’s grandsons, Mark Warther, serving as a tour guide.

Warther used his own handmade knives to carve out his creations from ebony, ivory and walnut. Incredibly, his carvings are more than works of art, they actually work! One of the most impressive “working” carvings is a steel mill which is an exact, small-scale replica of the American Sheet and Tin Plate Company where Warther worked as a young man. All of the various machines and men within the Steel Mill carving actually move and “work” at the mill.

Particularly fascinating is the “Pliers Tree” which was carved by Warther in 1913 and is listed in the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. This famous “tree” displays 511 interconnected pairs of working pliers. When folded together, the pliers form one perfect rectangular block of walnut. Warther created the “tree” in 64 hours by making a total of 31,000 cuts in the walnut block of wood. Warther took the carving to the Chicago’s World Fair, where he met Ripley. Warther and Ripley painstakingly folded the plier tree back together to prove to Ripley that the carving was made from one block of wood.

Ernest “Mooney” Warther is perhaps most well-known for his train carvings, which are all on display at the museum. One of his most impressive trains is the eight-foot-long Empire State Express, which is the largest working ivory carving in the world. The train sits on a 4,000 piece bridge made of ebony and ivory. The Lincoln Funeral Train is another of Warther’s well-known carvings. Carved from ebony, ivory and mother-of-pearl, the train is perfectly created to scale. It includes a locomotive, tender and three cars, including Lincoln’s body inside the coffin, table and chairs, restrooms, and coffee pot. Amazingly, Warther was nearly 80-years-old when he finished the train.

Even though Warther’s carvings are so life-like and detailed that they could be used in a Hollywood film, Warther Carvings & Gardens is more than a museum. It is also home to the Warther family knife-making operation, which is run by Warther’s grandson, Dale Warther. Visitors can witness knives being made during tours of the facility. Each knife is hand-crafted with American-made materials and features the Warther trademark swirls on a blade made of high carbon tool steel which is ground nine times for added durability. These custom-made knives can be purchased at the gift shop and are guaranteed for five years.

Visitors can also view an impressive button collection consisting of more than 73,000 buttons sewed into place in geometric designs. The buttons were collected by Ernest’s wife, the late Freida Warther. Also on-hand at the museum is Warther’s arrowhead collection, which includes over 5,000 arrowheads.

From spring through fall, visitors can enjoy the beautiful Swiss-style flower gardens on the grounds. With over 5,000 annuals planted every year, the gardens adorn the grounds where children can find a full-size locomotive and caboose on which to play.

Finally, no trip to Warther Carvings & Gardens is complete without a stroll through the gift shop that features Warther knives, hand-carved Christmas ornaments, and several beautiful gift ideas. For more information, call 330-343-7513.