Tuesday
Apparently a lot has changed since 1982 because it was only ordinary and even a little shabby at that, but it did have a pretty park along Main Street bordered by the Ohio River.
The drive to southern Ohio was not wasted because just across the river was West Virginia, the only state East of the Missippi for which I had no folder of places to see. Getting to the other side on the bridge, indeed, I found nothing worth even taking a photo of. But I did touch soil so have bragging rights now and can put West Virginia on my map.
These are the states I've visited so far on this trip since June 15, almost 3 months and 9293 miles ago.
She recommended I see a Pencil Sharpener Museum nearby.
Why not?!
T
This tiny museum is no bigger than my Doodlebug and houses Paul Johnson's collection of 3,400 pencil sharpeners all sorted by category.
There's everything from Barbie to the space race to the fallen World Trade center.
Some people just get old and die. For Paul the point is to stay sharp until it happens.
On the way to Dover coming thru Zanesville, I did a double take seeing these sheep coming down the sidewalk.
They had escaped from the Cottrill Bronze Art Studio down the block
One was even wearing ice skates!
It was closed so I couldn't go in.
In Dover arrived at the Warther Museum to see the button collection.
I had heard there was also a collection of carvings but wasn't particularly interested, thinking of those chainsaw bears for sale by the roadside. The carving was included in the tour which was about to start so I joined in. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. The most incredible wood carvings! Mooney Warther was a true genius, which I was about to discover.
Our tour guide, Jeannie, was a local woman who remembered Mooney fondly for all his eccentricities, like riding his bike all around town with his schock of wild hair standing on end, and talking so loud he scared all the kids.
As she started the tour in his tiny workshop and progressed thru all the thousands of items he carved, his genius came thru. With only a second grade education, he became a master carver and employed a degree of skill for some of his working creations that would have required an advanced degree in mathematics.
As she started the tour in his tiny workshop and progressed thru all the thousands of items he carved, his genius came thru. With only a second grade education, he became a master carver and employed a degree of skill for some of his working creations that would have required an advanced degree in mathematics.
He began carving as a kid when he found a knife in the pasture where he was being paid a penny per day per cow to take the cows to pasture.
He was less than 10 years old and helping to feed the family since his father died.
By the time he was in his twenties he had perfected his skill to the point where he carved this locomotive with working parts. The engine is ebony and the white parts bone. It is incredibly detailed. All of the text is carved and inlaid into the ebony.
He was married and to support his family worked in a steel mill.
While there he carved a working replica of it with all the mechanical gear parts running on electricity. With a second grade education. All of the men are moving, one eating his lunch even has his mouth chewing. Incredible!
In his 70s he began carving totally with ivory but only used ivory from elephants that had died, not been killed by poachers.
His pliers tree is made of over 3000 tiny pairs of working pliers all carved from the same piece of wood. They all fold up into one piece, taking several hours to fold them all together.
It was exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933.
Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum wanted to buy it from him for $50,000 and pay him $5,000 a year to exhibit it but he said no he didn't sell his creations. And he didn't, preferring to live simply.
The pliers tree. Not a very good photo, but each one of those branches is a working pair of pliers.
He used to make them for kids around town, and made one for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show in 10 seconds.
I must look on EBay to see if any are for sale there.
The Museum is on 8 acres and includes the home where he and his wife Freida, raised their three children. The home is open for self guided tour giving a glimpse into the life of this incredible man.
During WWII he didn't carve at all except to make hundreds of knives for the servicemen to carry using the steel he fashioned his wood carving knives from. On the handle of each he inlaid the man's name. Never charging for them, he liked to think that maybe they saved a life.
The tiny home is so simple that you can't help but think somehow Mooney had his priorities in order.
Upon his death in the 1980s his family started a knife business on the property that is very successful, mostly employing family members. I had to have Old Faithful, the paring knife, as a souvenir of this amazing man's life.
Freida's button collection was in a tiny building behind the house.
They were works of art in ivory, ebony and pearl.
It was interesting, but not historic and paled by comparison to Mooney's work.
I continue to be amazed by what I am discovering on this trip.
Had a late lunch at the Beans Cafe in Dover and talked movies with some old guys who gather there everyday for "neighboring". Fun!
He was less than 10 years old and helping to feed the family since his father died.
By the time he was in his twenties he had perfected his skill to the point where he carved this locomotive with working parts. The engine is ebony and the white parts bone. It is incredibly detailed. All of the text is carved and inlaid into the ebony.
He was married and to support his family worked in a steel mill.
While there he carved a working replica of it with all the mechanical gear parts running on electricity. With a second grade education. All of the men are moving, one eating his lunch even has his mouth chewing. Incredible!
In his 70s he began carving totally with ivory but only used ivory from elephants that had died, not been killed by poachers.
His pliers tree is made of over 3000 tiny pairs of working pliers all carved from the same piece of wood. They all fold up into one piece, taking several hours to fold them all together.
It was exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933.
Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum wanted to buy it from him for $50,000 and pay him $5,000 a year to exhibit it but he said no he didn't sell his creations. And he didn't, preferring to live simply.
The pliers tree. Not a very good photo, but each one of those branches is a working pair of pliers.
He used to make them for kids around town, and made one for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show in 10 seconds.
I must look on EBay to see if any are for sale there.
The Museum is on 8 acres and includes the home where he and his wife Freida, raised their three children. The home is open for self guided tour giving a glimpse into the life of this incredible man.
During WWII he didn't carve at all except to make hundreds of knives for the servicemen to carry using the steel he fashioned his wood carving knives from. On the handle of each he inlaid the man's name. Never charging for them, he liked to think that maybe they saved a life.
The tiny home is so simple that you can't help but think somehow Mooney had his priorities in order.
Upon his death in the 1980s his family started a knife business on the property that is very successful, mostly employing family members. I had to have Old Faithful, the paring knife, as a souvenir of this amazing man's life.
Freida's button collection was in a tiny building behind the house.
They were works of art in ivory, ebony and pearl.
It was interesting, but not historic and paled by comparison to Mooney's work.
I continue to be amazed by what I am discovering on this trip.
Had a late lunch at the Beans Cafe in Dover and talked movies with some old guys who gather there everyday for "neighboring". Fun!
Pencil sharpener museum! Bronze sheep on skates! Livin' the Doodle dream! XOXO
ReplyDeleteI love the pliers tree! Amazing stuff you are seeing!
ReplyDeleteHi Liz,
ReplyDeleteWhen rving in the summer of 2002, we toured the Warthy museum in Dover. I was given a carved plier. I have it somewhere stored in a box. Loving your blog and experiencing your travels slog with you.