Mercer Museum

At the Mercer, groups experience everyday life in early America and the Delaware Valley through an inspiring encounter with the vast array of artifacts displayed in the museum’s core exhibits. On view is “everything it took to make America.” Interpreter-led programs and visits to the museum’s changing exhibition gallery enrich your visit.

Self-Guided Visits

Groups of ten or more students are eligible to receive our group rate for a self-guided visit to the  Mercer Museum. All groups receive a 10 to 15-minute orientation led by museum staff. Please find downloadable scavenger hunts and pre- and post-visit activities to bring with you on the day of your group’s visit, located on our Resources page.

INTERPRETER-LED PROGRAMS

Log House Life (Grades Pre-K, K & 1: 30-Minute Program; Grades 2 – 6, 45-Minute Program)
The Log House Life Program transports students back in time to Bucks County over two centuries ago. In this program, students will learn what life was like living in a Log House by engaging in a variety of hands-on tasks. Costumed interpreters set the scene in the Mercer Museum’s historic Log House and teach students about the daily chores families would’ve completed in Colonial America.

Meet the Makers: Bartering in Colonial America (Grades 2 – 6, 45-Minute Program)
The Meet the Makers: Bartering in Colonial America Program weaves a story for students to understand economic relationships in early American communities. Participants join a Colonial shoemaker and the owner of a general store and learn how people in early America bartered for the household objects they needed to survive. Costumed educators show how these tradespeople made shoes, tin-punch lanterns, iron nails and so much more using tools now on display in the museum.

Museum Detective: What’s That? (Grades 2 – 8, 45-Minute Program)
Museum Detective: What’s That? is a hands-on interactive session where students can handle different objects and explore what they were and how they were used all with the guidance of a trained educator.

Simple Machines (Grades 3 – 6, 45-Minute Program)
The Simple Machines Program was inspired by the Mercer Museum’s collection of pre-Industrial hand tools. In this program, students investigate examples of the six simple machines, including the inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, and more. The students then explore how these machines/hand tools make work easier. Students are encouraged to make connections between the historical tools exhibited in the museum and the fundamental scientific and technological principles that lie behind them.

Mercer Sampler (Grades 2 – 6, 2 – 2.5- Hour Program –  Up to 100 Students, 10 Student Minimum, 2 – 2.5 hr program)
Experience two or three of our on-site offerings, tailored to grade level, in this rotational program for larger groups. The program consists of a museum visit and condensed versions of Log House Life, Meet the Makers and/or Museum Detective.

Mercer Museum On-site Fees:

  • School & Youth 30 or 45 min Programs: $75 program fee, plus $5 per student
  • Mercer Sampler Programs: $75 program per program, plus $5 per student
  • Self-guided Visit: $75 program fee, plus $5 per student

ROLLO'S FACTS

Fonthill has over 200 windows all of varying sizes!
Rollo's Fact 10

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