Ernest “Mooney” Warther

Side A: Ernest “Mooney” Warther was born October 30, 1885, near Dover, Ohio. He began to carve, aged 5, and did not set his knife down until shortly before his death on June 8, 1973. Fascinated with trains and steam engines he began his “Evolution of the Steam Engine” in 1913, hoping to convey the importance of invention and engineering. Each model was meticulously hand-sculpted, scaled, and mechanized. A 1923 newspaper article attracted the attention of New York Central Railroad and Warther was invited to tour on their Service Progress Special and later to exhibit at Grand Central Station. This success enabled Warther to quit his local steel mill job and to concentrate on his hobby and his own knife-making business. In 2023, his home, workshop, and museum were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Side B: Same