The Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle, operated by the Bucks County Historical Society, located in Doylestown, are historic castles celebrating the 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 through sixty different crafts and trades, and is one of the world’s most comprehensive portraits of American material culture. The museum also features a research library that is a center for local history related to Bucks County and the surrounding region, with its roots dating back to the founding of the Bucks County Historical Society in 1880.
Fonthill Castle was built between 1908-1912, and was the home to Henry Chapman Mercer. Mercer built Fonthill Castle as his home and as a showplace for his collection of tiles and prints. The castle serves as an early example of reinforced concrete and features 44 rooms, over 200 windows, and 18 fireplaces. Fonthill Castle’s interior features Mercer’s renowned, hand-crafted ceramic tiles designed at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement.
The Mercer Museum is located at 84 South Pine Street, Doylestown, PA, 18901. Fonthill Castle is located at 525 East Court Street in Doylestown, PA, 18901.
The Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle are open Tuesdays – Sundays from 10:00am – 5:00pm. For up-to-date ticket and schedule information, please visit mercermuseum.org.