Henry Chapman Mercer
Posted by: 
Gosffo
N 40° 19.427 W 075° 07.325
18T E 489628 N 4463702
Renaissance man, or maybe his elevator just didn't go all the way to the top??
Waymark Code: WM19ZB
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 03/10/2007
Views: 72
Marker Text:
Archaeologist, scholar, collector, tile maker. Mercer was born and worked in Doylestown. Between 1908 & 1916, he designed and built three unique concrete structures: Fonthill, his castle-like home; the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, where he made his distinctive handcrafted products; and the Mercer Museum, site of his vast collection of early Americana. His patented tile mosaics decorate the Pennsylvania State Capitol.
Ah, this is a must tour! Henry Mercer's home Fonthill is a tour worth taking. The catch is they don't tour the whole house, so if there is a special place you want to see, you have to do some checking to see when they tour that section. My tour lasted one and half hours. The house is made of reinforced concrete and covered in Mercer tiles, (that's one thing he is famous for) and tiles from around the world. The house was built with only 8 men, mixing concrete by hand and a horse called Lucy. Built in 2 years, or was it 4 ( I do have questions on this point) has 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, 32 stair cases, 5 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, seven stories high, has 200 windows, a crypt, wine cellar, has central heating, electric, an intercom and is the best house I have ever been in to play hide 'n' seek!!! My feelings on the house is mixed. I loved and hated it! Now, take the tour and tell me what you think!!!!
And see if you find out his dark secret!
Marker Name: Henry Chapman Mercer
County: Bucks
Date Dedicated: 10/17/1998
Marker Type: Roadside
Location: Pa. 313 in front of Tile Works, Doylestown
Category: Professions & Vocations, Business & Industry, Artists, Buildings
Website: [Web Link]
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