After spending a few days in the Philadelphia area to visit Barbara's brother and family, we headed a bit further north to visit Bucks County, Pennsylvania. We came here to research several of Barbara's early ancestors who had lived in this part of Pennsylvania. One of the places recommended that we visit while in the area was Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) was born into a wealthy family and raised in Doylestown. While he studied law and passed the bar, he never actually practiced law. As a young man he traveled extensively and developed a fascination for human history. He became involved in archaeology and became a major collector of objects used by people over the millennia. He later apprenticed with a Pennsylvania-German master potter to learn a tile making skill he feared was becoming lost and later founded Moravian Tile Works.
Between 1908 and 1912 he built Fonthill, his home as a "Castle for the New World". Because he had seen many wooden buildings ravaged by fire, he built his castle using the new technology of reinforced poured concrete. The building was designed by Mercer with much of the design in his mind and evolving as the construction proceeded. The building was constructed by 8-10 unskilled workmen, a foreman, Mercer's guidance and a single horse named Lucy.
Approaching the main building
The Carriage House
A tribute to Lucy, the horse that helped build the castle
The estate surrounding the castle
The castle is a showcase for tile produced by Mercer's tile works as well as other tile he collected around the world. Tiles were often designed to tell stories of mythology, the bible and history.
Even the ceilings and floors were decorated with tiles.
He even used some Sumerian cuneiform tablets.
Medieval Helmets
Human skull in his study
Pots Mercer had collected around the world
The Conservatory
A guest bedroom
The meeting and dining area
Moravian Tile Works was built in 1912 after its nearby predecessor was destroyed by fire.
