Fonthill Castle and the Mercer Museum

Fonthill Castle

    There's a peculiar kind of beauty in chaos, and nowhere is this more clear than at Fonthill Castle in Bucks County. Fonthill Castle, built from 1908 to 1912, was the home of Henry Chapman Mercer. While he may have made his fortune by creating running the lucrative Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, Mercer was also an archaeologist, scholar, author, antiquarian, and master hoarder. The castle reflects his eccentric personality and is a mix of Medieval, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural styles, all wrapped together under a solid concrete facade.

Moravian Pottery and Tile Works

Mercer Museum

    Even a 19,000 square foot castle was not big enough to hold all of Mercer's stuff. He was particularly fascinated by tools made obsolete by the Industrial Age. So, he gathered such tools discarded or offered in penny lots at country sales and housed them in the six story Mercer Museum. Wooden chairs, wicker baskets, whaling boats, and stage coaches hang from the ceiling, and old nautical equipment, gristmills, and spinning wheels adorn the walls. Walking through this museum feels like wandering in a some strange but unforgettable dream.