William McKinley and Ernest Warther

I drove nearly 200 miles today, but very little of it westerly. Very hot today, about 86 degrees.

I couldn't leave East Liverpool without seeing the "Point of Beginning." Just northeast of Downtown is the first U.S. Boundary marker, marking the survey line for the boundary between Pennsylvania and the Northwest Territory. Thus began the westward expansion of the country. The line turned out to be very close to Hall China, but I didn't know that when I went there yesterday. Just so I could be in a 3rd state today, I crossed the River to West Virginia to visit the Homer Laughlin Retail Outlet Center on Fiesta Drive, directly across from East Liverpool. They sell only Fiesta ware there, none of the other Homer Laughlin patterns. Circled back to East Liverpool by crossing the Newell (toll) Bridge. It must be over 100 years old, I think it was on the Lincoln Road (more about that another day). The tollkeeper tried to give me my change in scrip and was surprised that I wanted money. I guess regulars use these chits. Finally, I checked out the local Carnegie Library, which is still in use as a library in East Liverpool.


Drove North to Canton to visit the William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum. The site also has the huge McKinley Memorial, which was paid for by raising private funds. The so-called Presidential Library is in the county museum, which has a variety of other exhibits as well. There is just one large room with McKinley material. Sound bites:

• His first campaign, in 1896, was the "Front Porch Campaign." He didn't go anywhere, but the train brought notables to Canton to hear him on his front porch
• His first Vice-President, Hobart, died in office, so Teddy Roosevelt was chosen for the 1900 race
• The campaign slogan for the 1900 race was, "Four More Years of the Full Dinner Pail"
  
• He defeated Wm. Jennings Bryan both times
• His 1st Inauguration was the first to be filmed
• His issues were high tariffs to protect American industry (viz., pottery) and sound money
• In the 1896 campaign, both parties expressed sympathy for Cuban revolutionaries (!) against Spain
• Teddy Roosevelt gained fame as one one of the "Rough Riders" during the ensuing Spanish-American War
• He was assassinated in September 1901 while visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY

I probably should have visited the Football Hall of Fame or the First Ladies National Historic Site instead.

Drove south to Dover to see the amazing carvings of Ernest Warther, who had only a 2nd grade education. The son of Swiss immigrants, he picked up a knife he found at age 5, and the rest is history. He carved in wood, ivory, ebony, and made exact scale models of trains, steam engines, boats, among other exquisite, intricate carvings, just in his spare time, as a hobby. Many of the models are mechanized; each is truly unbelievable. He also started making his own knives, which branched into a business, tho he never sold any of his carvings. Mrs. Warther was extremely artistic as well. She assembled a collection of thousands of buttons, which she arranged in beautiful designs sewn on to backings, now on display in another small building.

Dover is in the midst of an area that was populated by Swiss & German immigrants. The countryside is filled with immaculate Amish farms. I took the scenic route south (and a bit west) to Cambridge, at the intersection of I-77 and I-70.