Last updated: 3/11/2011
84 South Pine Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
Monday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
Closed on Christmas and New Years.
Tuesday - Thursday
1 PM - 5 PM
Friday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM
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Doug Dolan
phone:
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Gayle Shupack
phone:
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As gifts to the Bucks County Historical Society, the collection and building were maintained by the trustees without benefit of professional staff until 1971. With a resurgence of interest in early American crafts, an ambitious program to develop and promote the Mercer Museum as an institution of national significance was then undertaken. The Museum has made major advances in collections management and care, exhibitions and interpretation bringing the Museum in line with contemporary standards while, at the same time, respecting the historical integrity of the site. In 1985, the Mercer Museum was recognized as a National Historic Landmark and achieved subsequent accreditation by the American Association of Museums in 2005.
The Mercer Museum and Fonthill's Terrace Pavilion are located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, in the heart of historic Bucks County. The museums are easily accessible from Routes 202, 611, 313, and the PA Turnpike. Center City Philadelphia, Philadelphia International Airport, and Lehigh Valley International Airport are all within an hour's drive. Additional attractions in the area include the James A. Michener Art Museum, Pearl Buck House, Peddler's Village and the town of New Hope. Several hotels and bed-and-breakfasts are within an easy drive.
By 1897 handmade objects were being discarded in favor of new machine-made goods. Historian and archaeologist Henry Mercer (1856-1930) recognized the need to collect and preserve the outmoded material of daily life in America before it was swept away by the Industrial Revolution. Mercer gathered almost 30,000 items ranging from hand tools to horse-drawn vehicles and assembled this encyclopedic collection in a system of his own devising. To enhance the collection's educational value, and to share it with the public, Mercer decided to design and build a museum to display the artifacts.
Access: General Public, Students, Scholars, Members
Appointment required: No
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