Tuscawaras County: Exploring Ohio’s Firsts in Dover and New Philadelphia

Each month, my husband and I randomly pick a destination in Ohio to explore, adding points of interest along our route from Central Ohio. Our most recent adventure was to Dover & New Philadelphia in Tuscarawas County.

A 2-hr drive from Columbus, Dover and New Philadelphia are located adjacent to one another near the center of Tuscarawas County. Both are picturesque small towns with plenty of downtown shops and restaurants, and a seemingly overabundance of nicely maintained historic homes.

Most visitors head to this part of Ohio in search of good food, quaint shops, and a glimpse into a simpler way of living. For this trip, we decided to dig a little deeper into the history of this land full of Ohio’s firsts.

Dover

Originally named Canal Dover, it served as one of eleven toll houses along the Ohio Erie Canal. Today, Dover is considered the gateway to Amish country and home to several unique and interesting museums.

Ernest Warther Museum & Gardens

It all started with a pocketknife found along a dirt road as a young boy. Ernest “Mooney” Warther spent the next 82 years of his life whittling, ultimately becoming known as a master carver.

His most famous hand-sculpted works focused on steam engines, carved from ebony and ivory, each one made precisely to its original blueprint.

 

Touring the Museum

The Ernest Warther Museum & Garden is located on the original property of the Warther’s home and workshop. Self-guided tours are available, but we highly recommend taking advantage of the 1-hr guided tour of the museum. Our tour guide was quite knowledgeable and shared many interesting stories.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a self-guided tour of the Warther home and the button museum, a display of Freida’s (Warther’s wife) button collection. Families will enjoy the gardens which include train cars and the “cave”, a secret play place for children to explore.

Admission ($16/$7/$5) to the museum is good for the entire day, although 2-3 hours is enough to enjoy everything this location has to offer.

Toland-Herzig Famous Endings

We don’t make a habit of visiting funeral homes during our travels, but curiosity got the best of us. The Famous Endings Museum is the creation of John Herzig. It started in 1996 when he requested an autographed photo of legendary boxer Joe Lewis.

After receiving a package with the autograph, he also found a program from Lewis’s 1981 funeral. Being a funeral director, this sparked the idea to start collecting items from other famous funerals. More than 25 years later, the collection is considered to be the largest of its kind.

Touring the Museum

Photographs and artifacts adorn the walls of the museum, all thoughtfully organized by theme, such as musicians, sports, presidents, movie stars, and many more! Additional items can be found in the hallways, including several special collections.

An engaging video presentation provides anecdotal stories about the museum’s collection. We especially enjoyed stories of those, who although not traditionally famous, are included because of their significant contributions to society.

While visiting, we were fortunate to meet Mr. Herzig, who graciously provided us with a personal tour. It was obvious that he has dedicated a great deal of time learning about the life and legacy of each person represented.

The museum is open M-F during normal business hours and admission is free. Plan to spend at least 1 hour touring this unique collection.

Reeves Victorian Home

Jeremiah E. Reeves was a 19^th century industrialist who moved to Dover from England. He was a prominent member of the iron and steel industry, founding several businesses and becoming one of the largest employers in the area. He was also instrumental in Dover’s growth by founding a bank, hotel, streetcar line, etc.

Touring the Carriage House & Home

We began our visit at the carriage house, a museum that provides a history of the Reeve’s family, as well as other famous Dover residents. Several of the Reeve’s family vehicles are on display, including a 1922 electric car. The 2^nd floor focuses on the history of Dover as an original canal town.

 

Museum admission ($10/$9/$5) includes a guided tour of the Reeves home, a beautiful 17 room Victorian mansion. It is fully restored and shown with all original furniture and family memorabilia. This home is stunning and a must see for anyone who enjoys Victorian architecture.

Reservations are not needed. Plan to spend appx 1-2 hours to visit the museum & tour the home.

New Philadelphia

New Philadelphia serves as the county seat for Tuscarawas County. It also holds some of Ohio’s earliest history and is where we began our tour of Ohio’s firsts.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites

As expected, this hotel (website) offered comfortable overnight accommodations for our trip. The best part was the convenient location to points of interest in both Dover and New Philadelphia.

Uncle Primos

Uncle Primos is a family-owned restaurant that features homemade Italian dishes, as well as a nice selection of grilled options. I chose the grilled chicken with a side of homemade fettuccine. My husband ordered filet mignon. Both were cooked to perfection and delicious!

Reservations are highly recommended, especially on the weekends.

Trumpet in the Land

After dinner, we headed to our main event for the evening. Trumpet in the Land is Ohio’s first and oldest outdoor drama, celebrating 53 years. It is in a beautiful outdoor setting, just 4 miles outside of New Philadelphia.

The drama shares the story of Ohio’s first settlement, Schoenbrunn, founded in 1772. It provides a window into the hope of peace brought by Morovian missionaries and their relationship with the local Indian tribes. It also depicts the tragedy that ultimately occurred during the Revolutionary War.

Tickets ($20) are available for purchase by calling ahead (614-339-1132). The theater is outside with no protection from the elements, so be sure to dress appropriately. Stadium style seating is available and offered as general admission (ADA accessible).

The show begins at 8:30pm and lasts for appx 2.5 hours. A snack bar and restrooms are available.

Schoenbrunn Village

Established in 1772 by David Zeisberger, a Moravian missionary from Pennsylvania, Schoenbrunn was the first Christian settlement in Ohio. Along with 5 families, they settled along the Tuscarawas River at the invitation of Chief Netawatwes of the Delaware Indian tribe.

As pre-Revolutionary War tensions between Great Britain and American settlers continued to escalate, Schoenbrunn served as a place of peace and acceptance for all who chose to live there. After five years, war moved into the territory forcing villagers to abandon their home.

Although lost for many years, Schoenbrunn Village was restored on its original site, with some buildings reconstructed using original foundations. Many of Ohio’s firsts occurred here, such as the first church building, the first schoolhouse, and the first civil code.

Touring the Village

The museum includes an introductory movie, various exhibits, and artifacts recovered during reconstruction of the site. We walked the grounds and toured the buildings. Placards provided information about who lived there, their role, and how they contributed to the community.

Most notably, we toured the home of David Zeisberger, the church where religious services and community meetings were held, and the school where all villagers were welcomed to attend regardless of age. I even tried my hand at writing with a quill & ink, one of many available hands-on activities.

Along the way, volunteers dressed in period attire were on hand to provide demonstrations. We listened to stories about life in the village, sampled freshly churned butter, learned about candle making, and attended a musket demonstration.

Admission to the village is $7/$5/$4 and free for Ohio History Connection members. Plan to spend appx 1-2 hours.

Tuscora Park

Tuscora Park is the perfect stop for a few hours of family fun. There is a community pool, fishing pond, sports fields, and several picnic shelters. Perhaps the biggest attraction is the child-friendly amusement park.

We took a short walk around the park, which is adjacent to the Woody Hayes Quaker Stadium, the home of New Philadelphia High School football. Woody Hayes, a graduate from nearby Newcomerstown, secured his first head coaching job here.

Five Barrel Bullet Brewing Co

We stopped for a midafternoon break at Five Barrel Bullet Brewing Co., the first brewery in New Philadelphia.  It is located on Harry Clever Field, the airport where John Glenn took his first flying lesson in 1941. The brewery offers a good selection of food and beverage in a spacious indoor/outdoor setting, live music, and a front row seat to the occasional plane arrival or departure.

Visitors should be sure to check out the airport’s recently installed Learn to Fly mural commemorating John Glenn’s first flying lesson. Click here for a map of other murals in New Philadelphia.

Zeisberger Memorial Cemetery

Heading South along Rt 416 towards Gnaddenhutten, we discovered the gravesite of David Zeisberger in Goshen Township. A small cemetery surrounded by iron gates and stone pillars mark the burial place of Zeisberger, along with several prominent missionaries and Indians.

Gnaddenhutten

Founded in 1772 by a converted Mohican leader named Joshua, Gnaddenhutten was intended as a safe place for Christian Delaware Indians to live in neutrality amongst the American and British sides. David Zeisberger named it Gnaddenhutten, meaning “tents of grace”.

Life in the village was peaceful until 1782, when a series of tragic events occurred, leading to the Gnaddenhutten Massacre.

Touring the Historical Park

The small park includes a museum, burial mound, 35-foot-high monument, and two reconstructed buildings. We watched a video presentation, learned the history, and walked the grounds.

We also found a few final “firsts” here. A small monument identifies the site where the first white child, John Lewis Roth, was born (1773) in Ohio. The adjacent cemetery marks the oldest grave marker in Ohio (1775) belonging to Joshua, founder of the settlement.

Admission to the museum and park is free. Plan to spend appx 1 hr to visit the museum and grounds.

One Destination at a Time

Traveling around Ohio is always such an adventure. We ended this trip having learned a great deal about Ohio’s earliest history and discovering many other “firsts” along the way.

Our Ohio Travel writer, Deb, randomly picks a new destination in Ohio to visit each month with her husband. Some of their trips are full weekend trips with overnight stays, while others are day trips. Their trips are always full of fun and unique stops that you’re going to want to check out.

Looking for more travel?

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