Mercer Museum
Encyclopedia
The Mercer Museum is a museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania
, United States
, a suburb of Philadelphia. The Bucks County Historical Society operates the museum, as well as the Spruance Library and Fonthill
, former home of the museum's founder, archeologist Henry Chapman Mercer
. The museum was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972, and was later included in a National Historic Landmark District along with the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
and Fonthill
. These three structures are the only poured-in-place concrete
structures built by Mercer.
Henry Mercer was a gentleman anthropologist. On a cruise up the Ruhr in early adulthood, Mercer was impressed by the eclipse of artisanal culture by industrial production, and resolved himself to preserving artifacts of preindustrial life. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mercer collected pre-industrial hand tools and other implements of the past. He believed that the story of human progress and accomplishments was told by the tools and objects that people used and saw these time-honored crafts slowly disappearing from memory.
Mercer personally designed plans for a museum to house his collection, six stories tall and cast of poured-in-place concrete
. Mercer's museum was completed in 1916. In addition to tools, it displays furnishings of early America
, carriages, stove
plates, a gallows
, antique fire engines
, a whaleboat
, and the Lenape Stone
. The Spruance Library, which houses historical research materials, is located on its third floor.
structures built by Mercer. The others include his home Fonthill and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
, both of which are located one mile from the museum.
Mercer decided to build with concrete after the Great Boston Fire of 1872
destroyed his aunt's prized collection of medieval armor, which had been stored in wooden structures. He did not want his own collections to suffer the same fate. Locals mocked his choice of building materials, but on completion of the museum, he lit a bonfire on its roof to prove that it was fireproof http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=319. Mercer's museum was an early demonstration of rebar
-reinforced concrete as a structural material.
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a suburb of Philadelphia. The Bucks County Historical Society operates the museum, as well as the Spruance Library and Fonthill
Fonthill (house)
Fonthill was the home of the American archeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Built between 1908 and 1912, it is an early example of poured-in-place concrete and features 44 rooms, over 200 windows, 18 fireplaces and 10 bathrooms...
, former home of the museum's founder, archeologist Henry Chapman Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer
Henry Chapman Mercer was an American archeologist, artifact collector, tile-maker and designer of three distinctive poured concrete structures: Fonthill, his home, the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, and the Mercer Museum.-Early life and education:Henry Mercer was born in Doylestown,...
. The museum was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972, and was later included in a National Historic Landmark District along with the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works is a history museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It is maintained by the County of Bucks, Department of Parks and Recreation. The museum was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was later included in a National...
and Fonthill
Fonthill (house)
Fonthill was the home of the American archeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Built between 1908 and 1912, it is an early example of poured-in-place concrete and features 44 rooms, over 200 windows, 18 fireplaces and 10 bathrooms...
. These three structures are the only poured-in-place concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
structures built by Mercer.
History
Mercer personally designed plans for a museum to house his collection, six stories tall and cast of poured-in-place concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
. Mercer's museum was completed in 1916. In addition to tools, it displays furnishings of early America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, carriages, stove
Stove
A stove is an enclosed heated space. The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating, either to heat the space in which the stove is situated or to heat the stove itself, and items placed on it...
plates, a gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
, antique fire engines
Fire apparatus
A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting fires by transporting firefighters to the scene and providing them with access to the fire, along with water or other equipment...
, a whaleboat
Whaleboat
A whaleboat is a type of open boat that is relatively narrow and pointed at both ends, enabling it to move either forwards or backwards equally well. It was originally developed for whaling, and later became popular for work along beaches, since it does not need to be turned around for beaching or...
, and the Lenape Stone
Lenape Stone
The Lenape Stone is a controversial archaeological artifact, the earliest origins of which can be traced to Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1872. The drawings on the stone appear to show Native Americans hunting a wooly mammoth, though most evidence suggests that modern humans did not co-exist with...
. The Spruance Library, which houses historical research materials, is located on its third floor.
Why concrete?
The museum is one of three poured-in-place concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
structures built by Mercer. The others include his home Fonthill and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
Moravian Pottery and Tile Works
The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works is a history museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. It is maintained by the County of Bucks, Department of Parks and Recreation. The museum was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was later included in a National...
, both of which are located one mile from the museum.
Mercer decided to build with concrete after the Great Boston Fire of 1872
Great Boston Fire of 1872
The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was Boston's largest urban fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on November 9, 1872, in the basement of a commercial warehouse at 83—87 Summer Street in Boston,...
destroyed his aunt's prized collection of medieval armor, which had been stored in wooden structures. He did not want his own collections to suffer the same fate. Locals mocked his choice of building materials, but on completion of the museum, he lit a bonfire on its roof to prove that it was fireproof http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=319. Mercer's museum was an early demonstration of rebar
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
-reinforced concrete as a structural material.
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External links
- Mercer Museum official website
- Panoramic images: exterior, main chamber, stove plate gallery