Warther Museum, Dover

Before coming here, I knew nothing about who Ernest “Mooney” Warther was. After leaving here, I was astonished at how a man with humble beginnings had combined the blue collar life with his huge imagination and made history. This museum should do something to your soul. The handmade creations in all of their detail by Warther are all stunning. To come here and see his works makes a for a nice visit. To leave here and be inspired to make the most of what God gave us makes it WORTH a visit. Pictures don’t do justice. Come check it out!

An absolute gem of a place that blew all of us away. We planned on stopping here on our way to tour some local wineries and wanted to spend an hour or so while waiting for them all to open. We ended up spending a lot more than an hour as we were absolutely captivated by the meticulous creations of both "Mooney" Warther and his wife. What an amazing place! Ernest, worked in a local steel mill and then made knives. He then started carving scale steam locomotives using wood and bone and later ivory. The museum shows off his works. Anyone who has an appreciation for steam locomotives and their history will want to spend time here. Anyone who has an appreciation for craftsmanship will want to spend time here as well. And if the trains are not enough, the button work that his wife did is almost as amazing - but there are significantly less works on display. I frequently found myself with my mouth literally hanging open as I realized the level of craftsmanship it took to make any of these models. Not only are they finely carved, but any piece that moved in real life, moves on the models. The museum guides tell you that Ernest invited railroad engineers to look over his completed models and tell him if they see any errors - and they could not find one thing out of place. The grounds are also nice to visit as well as the house that they lived in. I would recommend touring those before the actual museum as anything you do after the tour itself will feel like a letdown - and it's almost just as amazing.