09-09 Berlin, Ohio and Scenic Hills RV Park

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

On September 8th we left Apple Island RV Resort in Vermont and headed to Berlin, Ohio in the heart of Ohio Amish country. Although you hear more about the Amish around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this area has the highest population of Amish in the US. This would be the 3rd place we have visited near Amish settlements (Strasburg, PA; Bath, NY; Berlin, Ohio).

Just before leaving Apple Island, we had a brief visit with our friends Kent and Carol Roberts. We met Kent and Carol at "Life on Wheels" several years ago and have kept in touch via email and our respective travel journals/blogs. It was great to cross paths and see the Roberts again. Just wish it could have been a longer visit.

We had a pleasant drive across NY stopping two night on the way. However we were really tired by the time we reached Berlin. We decided three days of driving is the maximum for us without stopping for at least two nights to take a rest break. Full time RVers all have different preferences. Some only stay a night or two in one place and cover a lot of territory and seldom make any reservations. We much prefer to plan ahead with reservations and stay several weeks to a month in the same spot. That has been our mode all this year. We would move about 250 miles and stay at least a week before moving again. This seems more restful to us, and we get to know each area. Almost every time we got ready to move, we would comment to each other that we could have stayed longer. We have enjoyed each stop.

Berlin, Ohio was just such a stop. We were there three weeks in Scenic Hills RV Park, a very nice campground. We had a good spot right across from a fenced pasture where deer were being raised.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

All the campers enjoyed walking down to view the deer when they came out in the late afternoon to graze. However it is a bit sad to know these are being raised as prize bucks to sell to a hunting camp somewhere. They stay here until 3 or 4 years old and then are sold for a healthy profit to a hunting camp for some city hunter to come a claim a big prize. Does not seem like much sport to me. Here is a buck that I imagine will soon be sold.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

Our visit coincided with harvest time as indicated in the picture at the beginning of this post where hay is being gathered. Seeing all the horse drawn farm equipment once again reminded me of time spent as a child with my Grandfather Thompson who always farmed with similar equipment only he generally used mules rather than horses.

Likewise seeing the dairy farms reminded me of Grandfather since he was also a dairy farmer.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

It was interesting to go to the local market and see all the Amish buggies parked along with cars.

From 09-09 Berlin, Ohio

The best part of our stay in Berlin was the week long visit we had with our son Ward who drove over from Chicago. By his driving over, we did not have to drive the RV to the Chicago vicinity. That was a great help to us since we have not found a campground we like in that area. Nor do we like big city traffic.

A few of the following posts will cover some of the places we visited around the Berlin area.

09-09 Warther's Museum

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Perhaps the most interesting place we toured while in Berlin was Warther's Museum and Knife Factory. "Mooney" Warther was a master wood carver and knife maker. The museum contains his lifetime collection of carvings, primarily of steam locomotives. They are exquisite and perfectly detailed.

Here is a brief excerpt from one of the movies shown during the tour:



All his carvings are wonderful works of art. He carved many locomotives in different hardwoods.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Then he switched to ebony and ivory.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Then he carved in ivory alone. (He carved in ivory before it became illegal to export ivory.)

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

He was a great admirer of Abraham Lincoln. He carved the train that carried his body across country for burial in Illinois.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

You can look inside and see Lincoln lying in repose.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Mooney and his wife loved walking through the Ohio countryside. Over the years they amassed a huge collection of Indian arrowheads. Many are on display on the walls and ceiling of his workshop.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

His wife also collected buttons. These were turned into works of art and displayed much like the arrowheads.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

Mooney worked in a steel factory in his early work years. He carved a working replica of the mill where he worked.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

He first became interested in carving when he found a pocket knife in the road as a boy while tending sheep. A stranger he met at the train station carved a working pair of pliers out of a stick of wood without making any shavings, only use precise cuts. Mooney figured out how to replicate the carving and went on to carve hundreds of thousands of them for children over the years. During the tour his Grandson repeated the feat and gave it to a lady in the audience. She revealed that she had another one at home carved by Mooney when she was a little girl. Mooney once carved the pliers on the Johnny Carson Tonight show in under 10 seconds. He went on the figure out how to make more intricate sets with pliers within pliers. Here is a photo of a set showing the original un-carved block. All the carved pliers will fold back into this same shape.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

He went on to make a masterpiece that looks like a small tree with all the limbs being a set of carved pliers. All these pliers can be closed and folded back into a single block of wood.

From 09-09 Warther's Museum and Knife Factory

While working in the steel mill, Mooney began making knives for his own use and then kitchen knives for his Mother. He ultimately stared making knives full time. His family continues to make wonderful kitchen knives.

It is all quite fascinating to see. Dover, Ohio the home of the Warther Museum is just south of Canton, Ohio and is a definite place you will want to visit if in the area.

09-09 Lehman's Hardware

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Monique and I both love to wander around hardware stores. We found a top notch one near Berlin, Ohio called Lehman's. This store caters to the Amish and specializes in non-electric items. It was a real nostalgia time for me seeing so many things I had seen at both my Grandparent's homes and farms. For example they sell milk cans like my Grandfather used and like one we have in storage back in SC.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

I have a milk churner in storage identical to the middle one in this photo only mine is not red. My Grandmother Thompson would put water and a bit of soap in one similar to these and let me churn away making suds when I was very young. (It is still fun to do).

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

There are displays all around the top of the walls near the ceilings including a huge collection of different type antique washing machines.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

They even have some refurbished wringer washers for sale. While no Amish are on the Electric Company power grid, I think some Amish use electric generators for limited purposes. So I guess some could use this wringer type washer.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Monique would like a different washing machine for the RV, but decided this manual one would not fit the bill. For one thing it would be too tall for our space once you ad he wringer.

You work the handle back and forth and it moves a plate up and down to agitate the clothes. We were surprised to see that it cost over $500. Plus you have to add the $200 wringer. It is not necessarily less expensive for the Amish to live their lifestyle.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

As a child I used a kerosene lantern when camping. Mine was blue just like some seen on these shelves. (I think that lantern is also in storage in SC. Beginning to see a pattern here?)

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

My Grandmother Rone had several kerosene lamps like the ones in these pictures. I used to enjoy when a thunder storm knocked out the electricity, and we would pull the lamps down from the kitchen shelves to use until the power came back on. While in Lehman's an Amish farmer was picking up a new supply of wicks for his lamps. Lehman's has all manner of wicks and repair parts as well as a huge selection of different type lamps and lanterns.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

You can even buy a big wheel bicycle at Lehman's.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Or a hand made wooden cask of different sizes. (One of the smaller ones cost about $150.)

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

Need a copper kettle?

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

How about a wood burning cook stove? There were many on display. You can see the fire glowing red in this one.

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

They say they have the largest display of wood burning stoves and fireplace inserts in the US. They also have some wonderful looking barbecue grills including the pink pig seen in the foreground. (If you are looking for a new grill check out the Traeger Grill.)

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

I tried to figure out how I could pull this gas powered ice cream maker behind the RV. It has a John Deere engine and optional rubber tires. However Monique wasn't too keen on the idea. Too bad...

From 09-09 Lehman's Hardware Store

We liked this place so much we went twice. So if you are ever in that area, be sure to visit Lehman's.