Organizational Background
Located in Doylestown, Bucks County, PA, the Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle, operated by the Bucks County Historical Society, are two historic concrete castles that celebrate the life and legacy of Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930), American archaeologist, anthropologist, ceramicist and scholar.
The Mercer Museum, one of Bucks County’s premier cultural attractions and a Smithsonian affiliate, features both local and national seasonal exhibits as well as a core museum collection of over 50,000 pre-Industrial tools. This permanent collection offers visitors a unique window into pre-Industrial America and is one of the world’s most comprehensive portraits of American material culture. Fonthill Castle was home to Henry Chapman Mercer and served as a showplace for his collection of tiles and prints. Fonthill Castle features Mercer’s renowned, handcrafted ceramic tiles designed at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement.
