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BibleWalk (formerly The Living Bible Museum) is a nondenominational[7] Christian wax museum in Madison Township, just outside Mansfield, Ohio, affiliated with the Diamond Hill Cathedral.[6][8] It depicts scenes of religious importance for Christians, primarily from the Bible.
  Location within Ohio | |
Former name | The Living Bible Museum[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Established | August 15, 1987[3] |
| Location | 500 Tingley Ave, Mansfield, Ohio |
| Coordinates | 40.785861°N 82.496707°W |
| Type | Wax museum |
| Visitors | 30,000–50,000/year[4][5] |
| Director | Julie Mott-Hardin[6] |
| Nearest parking | On site (no charge) |
| Website | biblewalk |
The museum has received attention for its use of celebrity wax figures in its scenes, acquired from celebrity wax museums that were closing.[4][6][9][10] This was done as a cost-saving measure when new wax figures were deemed too expensive.[6] The museum attempts to make the celebrity figures unrecognizable.[10]
The museum contains five tours,[11] 78 scenes, and over 300 life-size figures made of wax, Fiberglas, and vinyl.[1][5][12] The figures are posed in scenes that may include other figures, taxidermy, and objects in front of painted backgrounds.[13] Additionally, each scene includes music, narration, and special effects.[1][14]
The collection includes a rare wax tableau of The Last Supper created by Marie Tussaud.[13][15][16] The museum also holds collections of rare Bibles, religious woodcarvings, and American votive folk art.[5][7][17][18] In 2020, the Museum of Woodcarving, a collection of 100 life-size carved wood statues by Joseph Barta, was incorporated into BibleWalk's collection, and went on display in 2021.[19]
Promotional materials for the museum have identified it as "holy ground."[5]
The idea for the museum was conceived by Pastor Richard and Mrs. Alwilda Diamond of the Faith Revivals church in the early 1970s[3] after they saw a religious scene in a wax museum in Atlanta.[6][8]
The first three scenes were constructed at the Diamond Hill Cathedral: The Last Supper was completed in August 1983,[8] followed by Jesus and the Children and The Woman at the Well in December 1983.[8][20] The figures were Fiberglas,[15] acquired from William Warren's Bible Walk in Collier Township, Pennsylvania.[8][6][21] Scenes were displayed at county fairs and the Ohio State Fair.[14]
In September 1985, construction on a standalone museum began in nearby vegetable garden.[8][14] When the museum opened on August 15, 1987,[3] it was known as The Living Bible Museum and had 16 scenes.[1][14] It was renamed to BibleWalk in 2004.[2]
The museum was created almost entirely by church members and donated labor,[3][8] and is maintained and managed by volunteers.[7][14] The museum is recognized by the IRS as a nonprofit organization.[22]
Even before it opened, it was anticipated that the museum would draw tour buses of visitors interested in religious attractions.[14] BibleWalk attracts out-of-town guests and boosts the local economy,[2] hosting 40,000 visitors in 2015.[4] Many visitors come from Detroit and Cleveland,[13] with some as far away as Germany, Africa, Asia, and Indonesia.[7]
In 2016, BibleWalk was recognized as having achieved Excellence in Tourism by the Mansfield/Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau.[23] In 2018, BibleWalk's Dinner With Grace events were inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame by Destination Mansfield-Richland County.[24]
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