We often visit family in eastern Ohio. Such a trip is incomplete if we miss going to the Amish area around Sugar Creek. This area has many Amish families, farms, businesses and several Amish restaurants.

The area is so interesting that spending a few days in one of their fine overnight accommodations is more than worth the cost in money and time. Come equipped for a step back in time. A camera or iPhone to record the sights and experiences is a must to have if you want a permanent record of a wonderful time. Horse and buggy carriages, farmers working in the fields with horse-drawn equipment, magnificent hand made quilts, marvelous woodworking and scrumptious food.

To get to Sugar Creek, we usually pass through Dover, Ohio which is bisected by I-77 south of Canton. There is a tourist stop in Dover that is a hidden American treasure that I like to visit almost every time we are there.

The Ernest Warther Museum and Gardens is only a few blocks off the freeway and is family owned. As a child, while tending the family cow, Ernest found a pocket knife and began to carve on a piece of wood. Over time, he became a master carver, developing many of the specialized tools he employed.

Mr. Warther became somewhat famous for developing a technique by which he could make several simple cuts in a piece of wood resulting in a pair of wooden scissors that opened and closed. There are newspaper reports of him touring the country amazing people using his ability of cutting individual or multiple connected scissors from a single block of wood.

I remember as a pre-teen seeing this demonstrated by a man in Holyoke, Massachusetts, but I don't remember the exact time, place or name of the person who performed this magic. I suspect it was Mr. Warther, who was more than middle age at the time. At the museum, you will see a scissors tree that looks like it has more than a hundred connected pairs carved from a single block of wood.

The tour guide informed us that Mr. Warther started using driftwood and ivory from old piano keys and pool cue balls. Over the years, he was able to purchase ivory tusks before their import was outlawed.

He developed a special interest in using drift wood and ivory to carve each part needed to make complete steam locomotive models with moving parts. Some were attached to sewing machine motors in cabinets on which the train was displayed. The engine and the motor were connected by a drive cord.

His models range in complexity from early simple steam inventions through complex cab-forwards with thousands of parts, some of which are very small. Included in the dozens of intricate models on display is the Lincoln funeral train with locomotive, tender and cars. For a preview of what you will see, there are some photos on the internet that you can view with a search using the name of the museum.

The museum is located on the same property as the original family home — which is open for tours. Between the house and museum is a stand alone single-room structure where Mrs. Warther's button collection is displayed in elaborate patterns on whiteboard. Some of these buttons are very unique, historic, or rare. This display is not just for women.

Many years ago we also discovered that one of Mr Warther's grandsons also taught himself to carve. He had to develop special tools for his marvelous wood and ivory ships. His first effort was Old Ironside. Now he is doing the history of sailing ships dating back to the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans.

Much of the ship rigging is carved ivory. His displays have moved from their original location so I can't give you the directions to where they are today, but I suspect that inquiries at the Museum or around Dover or Sugar Creek would probably reveal how to find them.

Below the museum is the shop where the family makes knives as a business, They are on sale in the gift shop at the museum exit.

My wife and I have driven back and forth across America several times for different reasons, but we have managed to find interesting history and wonderful sites, people, customs and marvelous foods each time. I hope to share more of them with you soon.

~ Raymond Leo Blain