Hello, my inkwell detectives, designers, dreamers, and everyone in-between! I am excited to talk about this podcast episode and blog post! I seem to be a slight castle fix here lately, as we are going to be talking about one of the most vibrant projects I have visited in a while, Fonthill Castle. Since it was a site that I visited personally, all of the images are ones I took myself while at the site, except for the portrait of Henry Mercer. Given that I took the tour several times before writing the episode, there are more tidbits and notes throughout the blog post then usual, as I wanted to provide some additional fun trivia that didn’t flow with the overall episode.
As always, I will include a couple of ways to listen, down below in case you want to follow along, in addition to the episode being on all major podcast platforms. Please enjoy the show!
TRANSCRIPT:
Let’s not aggregate the issue, It’s time for Architecture, Coffee, & Ink.
20 second Intro song
Hello, this is Hollywood C. and you’re listening to Architecture, Coffee, &, Ink. A podcast dedicated to introducing concepts, detailing out designs, and tackling the architecture you might not realize the meaning behind. I’m your hostess and I am here today to start introducing you to the designs that make you wonder why.
tag line: So, I ask you to brew your coffee, grab your sketch book and pen, and let’s begin.
Hello and welcome! And on today’s episode, we are going to be talking about concrete construction. Or more accurately, one of America’s castles made entirely of pour-in-place hand-mixed concrete. In fact, you may have seen it on that show, America’s Castles, or read an article written by the owner and designer of this whimsical concrete structure in your anthropology class. But you might be more familiar with his tilework.
Today’s episode is going to be on Fonthill Castle and Henry Mercer. Because after visiting it several times for research, touring personally and later with my office, the eclectic but welcoming collection, begs for a deeper dive into its’ history. Despite the repeated visits, I would swear that there were things I didn’t get to see yet. And each tour allowed a different glimpse into the eccentric owner. Carefully constructed by a small team from a model and a sketchbook, this design is important not only for the history it housed in its wall, but also for the very history embedded in its walls.
Location, Location, Location
As always, we are going to start our episode with a bit about the town this fascinating castle calls home. This castle is located in Mercer’s hometown of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, named after William Doyle’s Inn, according to the Doylestownborough.net. The inn was built in 1745, at which point the town was officially founded. The region is famous for its hot-summer, continental climate, and collection called “Tools of the Nation-Maker” that will we discuss a bit later on in the episode.
Introducing ‘Mr. Harry’
Now before we dive deep into the history of Dr. Henry Chapman Mercer, I do want to mention three sources in particular. While I will post my complete list as usual on the blog post, three of them I used more than others. The Bucks County Historical Society and its associated websites, lectures, and information, Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle, and the book, The Home of Henry Chapman Mercer, were all huge sources for me when researching. I would highly encourage you to check out the sources for yourself, as they contained so much more than I can fit into one episode.
But with that, let’s talk about Dr. Mercer, or ‘Mr. Harry’ as he was often called by those closest to him. Just remember as always, to always check your sources, check your facts, and most importantly, check me. I should never be your only source of information.
Mr. Harry lived from 1856-1930. He was a man of many careers and interests. He was an archaeologist, studied law but never practiced it, ceramicist, scholar, and collector. He was also incredibly innovative, and a prolific writer. He studied at Harvard University, then later went to Pennsylvania Law School, and finally the University of Pennsylvania. He served as Curator of American Prehistorical Archaeology and was part of the American Philosophical Society. However, it was not until 1898 that he created the Moravian Pottery and Tileworks with Frank Swain, someone we will discuss more later on. These would become the very tile works that made him famous, for his innovative process and beautiful designs. All his tiles were handmade, as he very firmly rejected progressivism or modernism. He was a defining part of the Arts and Crafts Movement, which we have discussed on the show in an earlier episode. But to again summarize it, it was a movement celebrating handmade items, arts, and crafts, hence the name.
Mercer’s tilework is currently on display in the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, The Casino at Monte Carlo in Monaco, West Point, and many more including overseas. He won an award at the 1904 World’s Fair. And along the way, he amassed one of the largest collections of pre-industrial American items, the collection I mentioned earlier. Though he originally started collecting much older items, something we will discuss in more detail later. As I mentioned, he was also a writer, including multiple archaeological and anthropology pieces, and a collection of supernatural tales, The November Night Tales. Which is currently sitting mockingly on my nightstand for me to read after I finish the 12 other books piled up there. It is supernatural gothic, and inspired by Brom Stoker and Edgar Allen Poe, and as a big fan of both of them, I have high hopes.
He was also estranged from his brother, who had inherited the family property. His brother had torn down the old Aldie, his family home, without discussing it with Mercer, and so there was a bitter fight. It may have been fixed; however, Mercer was invited to read his then just published November Night Tales at his brother’s house and due to a fight during that time, the brothers ended up completely estranged. He did stay connected with his sister, who married a count and moved to Europe. And if you are keeping track of the time period we are taking about, yes, she would have been there during the First World War, making him pretty critical of it. He was worried about his friends and family being caught up in the situation. He was also against mob mentality, and a major animal welfare activist, and staunch supporter of racial equality.
He always owned dogs, including his favorite Rollo. Most often he had Chesapeake Bay Retrievers as his ancestor actually created the breed, from a dog that had survived a shipwreck. I am jumping ahead a bit, but Rollo’s footprints are actually the ones on the stairs in his home. During construction, according to my first tour guide, Rollo heard Mercer and sprinted up the wet concrete to see him, leaving behind his footprints. Mercer ended up keeping it and adding tiles dubbing it Rollo’s stairs.
Architecture, Construction, & History
The original idea for the castle came from his travels. He had a wealthy widowed Aunt, Aunt Lela, or Aunt Elizabeth Chapman Lawrence, who funded his education and his travels to Europe. There he became fascinated by castles, caves, and architecture. It was Aunt Lela’s money that allowed him to build the castle, take trips to Europe, and create the tile works. He was also her heir, and it was after her death that he got the property.
He acquired the property in 1907, the same year he began planning to build his own home. One of the amazing things about the amount of time and research put into this property by the museum and historical society is that there is actually a lot of quotes from him available online, and in his writing. So, throughout this next section, I am going to include more of his own words describing the process then I usually do. Originally, there was a little farmhouse with a barn on the property. When discussing the property, he was quoted as saying the following from the Mercer Museum website:
“I think the whole thing comprises a very beautiful property, with these splendid springs commanding [an] outlook and the finest air with a very beautiful grove. The thing is extremely near to the town, within reach of everything, out of reach of injury by trolley or railroad and available for a final resting-place for the Pottery, if necessary…”
-Written by H. Mercer to his manager from a Boston Hotel. Quote provided from https://www.mercermuseum.org/building-henry-mercers-fonthill/
The barn would end up being torn down, and the foundation preserved for a garage and pavilion that would eventually become the Welcome Center it is today. We will pause on the Welcome Center for the moment and start first with the construction of the castle itself.
First, let’s start by discussing the ideas and concepts. From the very start, he was always intending this to be both his home, and a showcase of his works and collections. He designed the whole of the home himself. Again, we have another quote from Mercer, provided by the Mercer Museum website, regarding planning:
“The house was planned…by me, room by room, entirely from the interior, the exterior not being considered until all the rooms had been imagined and sketched, after which blocks of clay representing the rooms were piled on a table, set together and modeled into a general outline. After a good many changes in the profile of tower, roofs, etc., a plaster-of-Paris model was made to scale, and used till the building was completed.”
Dr. Mercer, Quote provided from Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle
This is a dramatically different process then most modern-day designers use. He would design room by room, first imaging the space, then sketching them out and finally constructing a model of each. These would be the blueprints he was working from when construction began in 1908. What is additionally so inspiring about his design, is how he incorporated a mixture of memories, experiences, and travels into the design, amongst other things. He again had the following quotes from the Mercer Museum website:
“The plan of the whole house was an interweaving of my own fancies blending with memories of my travels and suggestions from several engravings, … the first interior imagined and clearly seen [in my mind] was that of the west side of the Saloon…The arrangement of rooms at different levels…over the gallery in the Saloon is a memory of a Turkish house seen by me from the rear garden in Salonica in 1886. The Saloon…retains the appearance of these preliminary dreams…”
Dr. Mercer, Quote provided from Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle
The farmhouse, originally built in 1742, was incorporated into the castle as the kitchen. When standing in front of the servant entrance, which is the entrance used for both tours I went on, you can actually see the now concrete covered structured in the three arches to the side. On the blog post, I included an image where I point out the arches, but it is the shortest area when looking at the building. If you enter the property through the drive that is lined with trees, the castle will be straight in front of you, with the farmhouse’s arches facing you, and the Welcome Center to the right. He recycled the whole building, something that he would continue throughout the whole project. Now because of his documentation, we do know the exact mixture of the concrete used. It was a bit rougher and drier than we would use today, but in his own words:
“Cement mixers were not then in general use. All the cement was mixed by hand in the proportions of Portland Cement 1-part, yellow sand (called Jersey gravel), 2 1/2 parts, and bluish crushed trap from the crushed stone works at Rockhill Station, south of Quakertown, Bucks County, Pa., 5 parts.”
Dr. Mercer, Quote from the Fonthill Castle and Mercer Museum Websites
Again, from the Mercer Museum website. Now based on this description, and having seen it in person, I can attest that it is much rougher, or it is better to state that is more textured. Because one thing about it, is that it shows a lot of technical skill and development. There is obviously a lot of thought throughout the whole of the design, and no one can accuse Mercer of not paying due diligence to details.
Now, this following quote about the construction of the castle actually comes from a writer, though the Museum website does not list who exactly it was that wrote this quote, and I was unable to find it myself. And the while the writer is addressing the ceiling in the library in particular, we are going to use it as a launching point to start addressing the general construction of the castle as a whole. The quote begins:
“The construction of the library ceiling is typical…with the position and forms for the columns established, a rude platform was erected, the lumber comprising any convenient waste material, such as old rails, posts and boards. Over these were placed garden weeds, grass, or hay, and upon the latter, a layer of earth for the workers to walk upon. The spring of the arch was determined by bending a long pliable strip of wood from column to column. Underneath…were placed empty boxes and other waste material light in weight but taking up space. On top of this…was placed another layer of earth spaded to arch form and upon this a layer of sand nicely graded. The tiles were laid…upside down, and over the entire mass…wire mesh and pipes and then the wet concrete was poured over the whole.”
Quote from the Fonthill Castle and Mercer Museum Websites
Okay, so now let us deconstruct that quote, and in doing so, learn about this innovative process of construction. Prior to now, when building with concrete, especially pour in place, the concrete was first poured, allowed to cure, and then the tiles were fixed on to the structure. Altogether, this would take several weeks to occur. While concrete might look dry in few days, concrete needs to cure, which is basically a chemical process where it hardens and gives it the properties that make it so valuable. Drying is dehydrating, or removing moisture, while curing is balancing it out between time, moisture, and temperature and achieving perfect balance or equilibrium. Many factors go into how long that takes, including thickness of what is poured, weather conditions, water to cement ratio in the mixture, etc. Rushing or throwing it off balance and that is when you get cracks, and other issues.
What he ended up doing is creating a method were the tiles were already embedded, and the arches were curing in place. Making everything all in one and turning a lengthy process into a short one. He would build mounds and use the sand as a mould for the concrete, which he could then push the tiles into facedown. This medium was used as it could be brushed away once the concrete was set. He would often use boards with a lot of texture, to help give it an aged look, and it was like his model in the way that they were building room by room until they made the whole castle.
One thing that one tour discussed that the other did not, was how he kept detailed records of his whole collection. Some of the tiles were numbered with his own handwriting, which can be seen embedded in the walls. Those are part of his collection, ones he received through his travels, or correspondence, and he would keep notes on where in the castle it would be located, where he got them, etc. If it does not have a number, it was one he made. The thing is, some of those items in his collection were historically important things he found on his digs, and expeditions, or collected. He has some examples of the first type of writing, Babylonian cuneiform tablets displayed in a column in the Saloon, he has pottery hanging up with chicken wire above his couch older than a lot of countries in existence today… Suffice to say he has as much history embedded in the walls as he does contained and protected by the walls.
The construction crew was a small crew of 10 men, and the most important crewmember in my opinion, Lucy the horse. They were all, including Lucy, paid $1.75 a day for 10 hours of labor. To give you some context, all of the sources I checked for wages at the time, indicated that 400 dollars would be around the high end of the average yearly income for the time period. His payments come out well above average. Another thing that he did, was include the names of everyone who worked on the property in tile somewhere in the house. So, I will post the complete list of names on the blog, as I do think we should celebrate all those who participated in the construction.
“Here see the names of the men who planned this house, directed its plan, executed its construction, adorned its walls, embellished its pavements, built it with their labor, and the horse who uplifted it with its strength. Henry Mercer planned. Patrick Trainor directed. John Trainor executed. Jacob Frank adorned. Hermann Sell embellished. Lucy uplifted. John Alexander, Adolph Bregan, Hiram Carr, Charles Eveland, Harry Gordon, Louis Fonash, Howard Firman, Daniel Halsey, Joseph Harton, John Heath, Edward Hoffman, Scott Case, Abram Keller, Eugene Kramer, Harry Kling, Silas McIntosh, Valentine Prock, Harry Rush, Thomas Redmond, Frank Smith.”
Credit label inthe house, as written by Dr. Mercer, quote from the Fonthill Castle and Mercer Museum Website
The tiles themselves were laid by Jacob Frank, who was actually also an employee for company Moravian Pottery and Tileworks. Frank would place them face down, about half or partially into the sand depending on the tiles, then the concrete was poured, after the reinforcement was laid down. Given this, he was paid slightly more than the others for the detailed work. Additionally, Mercer would hire carpenters, and electricians. Admittedly, the electricity has been updated for safety, however, everything else is the same, including several of the Edison Bulbs, and fixtures. He achieved the space in the walls for electricity and plumbing by wrapping damp corn and material and then burning it out to hopefully leave a hollow space in the middle. He did mention the first few attempts did not work, to which I also cringed in sympathy as I made a similar mistake the first time I cast concrete. Though I did not use corn, but I definitely sympathized with his struggle.
Lucy was owned by Patrick Trainor, the foreman. Mercer would honor her by adding a weathervane, the same one you can still see mounted on the roof currently. She worked there for 3 years and assisted with the construction of the Tileworks as well, which was built between 1911-1912. I am not sure if she was also involved with the Museum, which was built and intended to be a museum for his collection. (As an aside, both it and the Spruce Library were completed by 1916.) Lucy was later buried on the grounds after her death.
Construction was wrapped up by 1912 completely, though many sources considered construction in two phases. The majority of the main building construction was completed by 1910, and then later that year was the start of the servant quarters and an additional couple of rooms. Most of my sources liked to quote the following statistics about the final project: altogether, there is 21 chimneys, for 18 fireplaces, and 32 stairways leading to 44 rooms. In addition to the walls, several pieces of the furniture were also created using concrete. There were also two hundred windows, several of which were concrete. One note I will make, is that I noticed a few sources differed on how many final rooms there are. I am using the sources I trust the most for my numbers. But I do want to acknowledge that I am aware that some sources list a different number of rooms. Altogether, the book states that it cost somewhere around $31,807 for the castle to be built, which would be over a million dollars in today’s worth for both euros and dollars.
This final product resulted in a mixture of Gothic, Byzantine, Spanish, with several other influences, wrapped up all into one project. Many of my sources seemed to pick their favorites, which I believe strongly shows how easy it is to identify with some aspect of the building. He moved into the castle officially on May 29, 1912. It is considered to be one of America’s first reinforced concrete structures.
Now here is the time, when I take a moment to jump on my soapbox to young designers. When your professors tell you to focus on incorporating what you know, and your experiences into your projects and designs, this is absolutely the perfect example or case study. While some may argue that the overabundance of tiles might not be to their own tastes, you can’t deny the success of the project, and his accomplishment of the goals he set out to achieve. At the time of construction, this project had the height of technology. But he designed and incorporated elements from his travels, and fond memories.
Welcome Center
As I mentioned earlier in the episode, originally on the property there was also a barn, which was torn down. The stone foundation, however, was preserved and used for the garage, and built in 1913. This structure was actually built using an early version of a concrete mixer, powered by gasoline. So first the castle was built by hand and hand mixing, then the smallest project on the property was built by gasoline. Both of my tour guides were very quick to point out that he had never owned or drove a car himself, and in all likelihood, this structure was more storage for his collection. But he was quite adamant that it was a garage. What makes this piece so unique, is that it was always intended to be have birdhouses and bat houses on top of the roof, which can still be seen today. The original structure was built in 1913, and then later on in 1927-1928, an upper level that I did not get the chance to check out personally, was created – called the Terrace Pavilion. Doylestown Nature Club would use this room for their meetings, and it also was available as a social space. The Welcome Center was renovated from the original structure to what it is today, by Raphael Architects and Happ Contractors from the fall of 2018-2019. On the official YouTube channel, there is actually a video of the process, with additional information, and some really cool in-process moments. I absolutely recommend giving it a look, as you can also see the upper room as well.
Life After Construction
After the castle was completed, life continued on for Henry and his company. In addition to himself, Frank Swain, an employee of his tileworks, would live there. As would his housekeeper, Laura Swain, nee Long, who was eventually married to Frank. She was the backbone of day-to-day life at the castle, keeper of the keys (all 66 of them), and the first tour guide. Assuming she liked the look of you, as both my tour guides said. She would at one point ask for a higher wage of 1100-1200 a month with room and board. And from the sound of it, she would see all sides of Mr. Harry, the good, the bad, and the in-between. Mr. Harry would sometimes be prone to fits of anger and wanting things very exact, for which he would apologize to her, according to a lecture I watched by Cory Amsler and the Bucks County Historical Society. To this effect, both tour guides pointed out that Mr. Harry would only eat scrambled eggs for breakfast, as an example of how particular he was. And they had to be scrambled and from Laura. He would ring a bell, and then the eggs would be brought up via dumbwaiter. He did send Frank and Laura out on a paid 4-month honeymoon cruise for them, so it really goes to show that he was a real human.
He never married, though he fathered an unknown child somewhere in Austria, who has been lost to time and the war. He did have one suspected entanglement, with a Frances Lurman, and here is where I almost lost it on the tour and did when watching the lecture. Among the rooms in the castle, is a room called the yellow room. This room is designed to look like a Spanish monastery and is a beautiful showcase of work. On my first tour, it was briefly mentioned to be the intended lady’s room when visiting. And the focus was primary on how the locks were controlled, and the overall vibe. The tiles on the walls were briefly mentioned, as depicting the story of Bluebeard, but no additional information was given. On my first tour, I decided against researching before I went. Anyone who knows me personally probably will not believe that, given that I research the history and architecture of places I go to shop at. I was unprepared to hold in my giggles because I had read the story years ago, I think for a French class, but it may have been later on in college. On the second tour, I wasn’t much better, but this tour guide explained it a little bit. The lecture gives the best understanding.
For those who do not know, Bluebeard is French story of a man who murders his wives. In a way, the story really reminds me of the story of Cupid and Psyche, in that Cupid tells her not to do something, she ignores it, and does the thing anyway- and that is where the similarities end. Bluebeard is a super wealthy but ugly man, named for his blue beard. He marries our protagonist, and gives her the keys to his fortune, lets her invite her friends, and tells her she can have everything as long as she does not open a particular door. He leaves on a trip; she opens the door and finds the bodies of his previous wives. While there, she accidentally drops a magical key in the blood, which lets him know she disobeyed him when the blood will not wash off. He returns, goes to kill her, and she stalls long enough for her brothers to rescue her, as they were already on their way to visit. Now, situationally, knowing that Mercer put those tiles on the wall in a room where his love interest would stay, made me laugh way too hard, especially given how the lecturer explained it.
It is something that is brought up all the time. However, after thinking it through, I could not help but wonder if there might be a different reason behind this choice. To many, the moral of the story is obedience to your husband, and that women should curb their curiosity, etc. However, another take I have heard, is one of woman empowerment. She outwitted him long enough to save herself, and once he had died, she inherited the money and used it to help, and eventually get her own happy ending. And if she had never been curious, she may have never known what a dangerous situation she was in.
And while this is pure conjecture on my part, based heavily on the fact I prefer the second interpretation of the story, and it genuinely could have been because he liked the look of those tiles in the room the best. But like I mentioned earlier, he was known to be an advocate. But if I end up making a retraction later on, you know why. However, it really does show how he enjoyed crafting tales through his designs.
After Mercer
Mercer was chronically ill for a large part of his life. Unfortunately, one day it eventually caught up to him. On March 9, 1930, he ended up passing away from kidney failure and myocarditis, due to his Bright’s Disease. He had become sensitive to the light and had actually moved bedrooms from his original one to another much darker room. Throughout his life, he had been plagued by other ailments, from as early as his college career at Harvard. In his will, he made sure that the Swains were allowed to live at the property or gave them life rights. Laura continued conducting tours until her death, the last of the three of them to pass away. The castle was actually in a trust, and upon her death, it was then that the trust started working together with the Bucks County Historical Society. From 1976, the castle has become a museum, along with the Mercer Museum, and his Tileworks, which is still in operation. Altogether, this strip is called the Mercer Mile. The site is part of the American Alliances of Museums, and you can tour there today. The best and most up-to date source of information will always be on their website.
The Museum was originally listed by itself on the National Register of Historic Places, in the year 1972, and later on all the buildings were added. All six stories have attractions, and the museum is officially listed as a Smithsonian affiliate on their website. Altogether, the current collection is 17,000 pieces. I will note that not all of it is ADA accessible, especially the original areas of it. It was built in the early 1900s of solid concrete, so there is no climate control in those areas. Or in any of his structures, in fact, the stairs in his house are pretty famous for being slightly different and uneven. That being said, it is absolutely worth a visit to check out. The grounds were first established as Bird Sanctuary in 1912 by Dr. Mercer. Later on in 1928 it was further established as an Arboretum. Many of the original trees first planted on the grounds are still visible, including the London Planetrees along the drive, and the Cucumber Magnolia planted by Frank Swain. You can explore the estate, a total of 66 acres, and follow alongside a self-guided walking tour. There is an indescribable warmth to the whole building, even being concrete. There is a layer of history and vibrancy, exploration, and innovation that sticks with you when you go. The Tileworks is still in operation today, and can also be toured, and pieces purchased. There is so much to the property that I didn’t have time to discuss in this episode, from the various themes of the rooms, to the cistern on the roof. No matter how many times you visit, this is one location you will always find something new to learn about.
Conclusion
And with that, I am excited to conclude this episode, I have way too many pictures up on the blog, with additional notes and stories. So please go check that out as well. As always- please rate, review, and subscribe everywhere you get your podcasts from. You can find me on Instagram at architecturecoffeeandink. Email the show at architecturecoffeeandink@gmail.com or the blog at architecturecoffeeandink.com. Architecture, Coffee, & Ink is a Hollywood C. Studios, LLC production. I am excited to meet with all my designers, dreamers, and DIY enthusiasts next time, but in the meantime,
May your coffee mugs be full, and your inkwells never run dry.
60 secs end song re-looped.
SOURCES:
I added additional images throughout the sources.
“About.” Mercer Museum FonthI added additional images throughout the sources. ll Castle, http://www.mercermuseum.org/visit/fonthill-castle/about/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
Arneson, Jody. “Revisiting an Incredible American Castle at Fonthill.” MidAtlantic Daytrips, 6 Aug. 2019, midatlanticdaytrips.com/2019/08/revisiting-an-incredible-american-castle-at-fonthill/.
Blanchard, Peter. “Fonthill Castle Ranked among ‘Most Beautiful Castles in America.’” Doylestown, PA Patch, Patch, 22 Mar. 2021, patch.com/pennsylvania/doylestown/fonthill-castle-ranked-among-most-beautiful-castles-america.
Brimo-Cox, Susan M. “Henry Mercer’s Concrete Castles Instruct, Inspire and Amaze.” Concrete Decor, http://www.concretedecor.net/departments/building-with-concrete/henry-mercers-concrete-castles-instruct-inspire-and-amaze/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
“Building Henry Mercer’s Fonthill: 1908-1912 Exhibit.” Mercer Museum Fonthill Castle, http://www.mercermuseum.org/building-henry-mercers-fonthill/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
“Cpc.State.Pa.Us.” Henry Chapman Mercer, cpc.state.pa.us/history/artists/henry-chapman-mercer.cfm. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
“Did You Know a Castle in Pennsylvania Showcases a Quirky Collection?” WGAL, WGAL, 15 May 2024, http://www.wgal.com/article/pennsylvania-fonthill-castle-in-doylestown-showcases-handcrafted-ceramic-tiles/60642206.
“Fonthill (House).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Sept. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fonthill_(house).
“Fonthill Castle Videos.” Mercer Museum Fonthill Castle, http://www.mercermuseum.org/visit/fonthill-castle/gallery/fonthill-castle-videos/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
“Fonthill Castle.” Fonthill Castle | Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios, artistshomes.org/site/fonthill-castle. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.
“Fonthill Castle.” Mercer Museum Fonthill Castle, http://www.mercermuseum.org/about/fonthill-castle/#:~:text=Designed%20by%20Mercer%2C%20the%20building,of%20decorative%20tiles%20and%20prints. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
“Fonthill Castle: Doylestown, PA.” Bucks County, http://www.visitbuckscounty.com/listing/fonthill-castle/54/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
“Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) – Find a Grave…” Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7757574/henry-chapman-mercer#:~:text=He%20published%20’Ancient%20Carpenters’%20Tools,all%20open%20to%20the%20public. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.
“Henry Chapman Mercer | Pop Goes the Page.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, popgoesthepage.princeton.edu/tag/henry-chapman-mercer/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.
Henry Chapman Mercer, http://www.mercermuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Fact-Sheet-Henry-Mercer-1.pdf. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.
“Henry Chapman Mercer.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Aug. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Chapman_Mercer.
Hioasp@example.com. “Brief Life of Henry Chapman Mercer, Innovative Ceramicist.” Harvard Magazine, 6 Feb. 2018, http://www.harvardmagazine.com/2017/12/henry-chapman-mercer.
“Home.” The Borough of Doylestown, http://www.doylestownborough.net/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
Mercer Museum, http://www.mercermuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Volume-26-number-2.pdf. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.
“Mercer Museum.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Dec. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercer_Museum.
“Mercer Museum: Doylestown, PA.” Bucks County, http://www.visitbuckscounty.com/listing/mercer-museum/29/. Accessed 29 Sept. 2024.
Pennsylvania Center for the Book, pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/bios/Mercer__Henry_Chapman. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
Poos, Thomas G. Fonthill, the Home of Henry Chapman Mercer: An American Architectural Treasure. Manor House, 2008.
“Research Library.” Mercer Museum Fonthill Castle, http://www.mercermuseum.org/collections/research-library/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2024.
Showers, Brian J. “‘Henry C. Mercer’s Fonthill’ by Jonathan Eeds.” Swan River Press, 15 Dec. 2015, swanriverpress.wordpress.com/2015/12/15/henry-c-mercers-fonthill-by-jonathan-eeds/.
“Visit Fonthill Castle.” Visit Philadelphia, 9 Sept. 2019, http://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/attractions/fonthill-museum/.
This is the link to the welcome center video, down below!
YouTube, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ny8bBEb9E0. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
This is the link to the full lecture by Cory Amsler and the Bucks County Historical Society, down below.
YouTube, YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Som2rqQHIhI. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.