Fonthill Castle, Mercer Museum and Moravian Tile Works

Doylestown, PA

With summer winding down and the upcoming fall holidays fast approaching, be sure to take advantage of the Mercer County Library System free Museum Pass program with friends and family. Passes can be reserved 45 days in advance with a loan period of 3 days, and must be returned to the library that issued them. They include passes to the Academy of Natural Sciences, Eastern State Penitentiary, Elmwood Park Zoo, the National Constitution Center, Morven Museum and Garden, and Fonthill Castle and Mercer Museum.

On a recent visit with friends to Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I discovered the hidden gem of Fonthill Castle and the Mercer Museum. These two museums contain artifacts that will interest visitors of all ages and provide a wide variety of special events. Be sure to check the museums’ website for current hours and programs.

Henry Chapman Mercer, archeologist, tile maker, collector and world traveler, was born on July 24^th, 1856 in Doylestown. He attended Harvard University from 1875 to 1879, where he received a liberal arts degree. He then studied law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1880 to 1881. He also became a founding member of the Bucks County Historical Society. From 1881 to 1889, he traveled throughout France and Germany and, upon his return to Pennsylvania, was appointed Curator of American and Prehistoric Archeology at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Mercer served as an apprentice to a Pennsylvania German potter and became greatly influenced by the American Arts and Crafts Movement, which emphasized traditional craftsmanship and often used medieval, romantic or folk styles of decoration. In 1898, Mercer founded the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, where he produced art tiles and pottery until his death at Fonthill on March 9^th, 1930.

Henry Ford once stated, "the Mercer Museum was the only museum worth visiting in the United States." the Mercer Museum was Henry Ford's inspiration for his own museum, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Fonthill Castle was Mercer’s home. He began work on Fonthill in 1908 and completed it in 1912. Upon completion, Mercer built a fire on the roof of the tower so everyone could see that his home was fireproof. In fact, Fonthill is an early example of poured concrete construction. It contains 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, 10 bathrooms, and more than 200 windows - some of which are made of concrete formed around glass. The interior was originally painted in pastel colors, which have faded away from age and sunlight. One room in the Terrace Pavilion has been restored to its original colors so visitors can see how the interior of Fonthill originally looked. Some of the built-in furniture of Fonthill is also made of poured concrete and decorated with decorative Moravian tiles made by Mercer at the height of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The walls of the Castle are embedded with Mercer's extensive collection of ceramics and tiles, as well as objects he collected on his world travels. Mercer’s collection of over 1,000 prints and over 6,000 books is also housed at Fonthill. In 1972, Fonthill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1916, the Mercer Museum, which is six stories high, was constructed of poured concrete. Henry Chapman Mercer personally designed the plans for a museum to house his vast collections from his travels. He collected pre-industrial tools and other implements of the past. In addition to tools, he also collected early American furnishings, carriages, cast iron stove plates, antique fire engines, a whale boat, as well as countless other artifacts.

Like Fonthill and the Mercer Museum, the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works were built by Henry Chapman Mercer of poured concrete. Construction began in 1911 and was completed in 1912. With Mercer’s small capital investment and inexpensive costs, and his ability to produce a wide range of pottery and decorative tiles, his business was a great success. The handmade quality of his tiles and pottery fully expressed the ideals of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. By the turn of the century, he was recognized as a premier maker of "artistic" tiles. Mercer’s work was highly sought after by architects to decorate private and public buildings across the country. To this day, his pioneering methods strongly influence tile makers.

- by Dominic, Lawrence Branch