Henry Chapman Mercer
Encyclopedia
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
.
on June 24, 1856. Mercer first traveled to Europe in 1870. He attended Harvard University
between 1875 and 1879, obtaining a liberal arts degree. Mercer went on to study law at University of Pennsylvania Law School
between 1880 and 1881, and he read law
with the firm of Freedley and Hollingsworth. The same year he began studying on the University of Pennsylvania, he became a founding member of the Bucks County Historical Society.
and Germany
.
The University of Pennsylvania Museum appointed Mercer as the Curator of American and Prehistoric Archeology in the early 1890s. Leaving his position with the Museum in the late 1890s, Mercer devoted himself to finding old American artifacts and learning about German pottery. Mercer believed that American society was being destroyed by industrialism, which inspired his search for American artifacts. Mercer founded Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in 1898 after apprenticing himself to a Pennsylvania German potter. Mercer was also influenced by the American Arts and Crafts Movement
.
Mercer is well known for his research and books about ancient tool making, his ceramic tile creations, and his engineering and architecture. He wrote extensively on his interests, which included archeology, early tool making, German stove plates, and ceramics. He assembled the collection of early American tools now housed in the Mercer Museum. Mercer's tiles are used in the floor of the Pennsylvania State Capitol
Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
and in many other noteworthy buildings and houses. In the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Mercer created a series of mosaic images for the floor of the building. The series of four hundred mosaics trace the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from prehistoric times. The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the largest single collection of Mercer's tiles. Other collections of tiles by Mercer can be found at Rockefeller's New York estate, Grauman's Chinese Theater, the casino at Monte Carlo
, and the St. Louis Public Library
.
, which is open to the public, and the Mercer Museum. The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works is owned and operated by the Bucks County
Department of Parks & Recreation. These three buildings make up "the Mercer Mile". All three buildings were designed and constructed by Henry Mercer in the early part of the 20th century.
Henry Ford
stated that the Mercer museum was the only museum worth visiting in the United States, and the Mercer Museum was apparently Henry Ford's inspiration for his own museum, The Henry Ford
, located in Dearborn, Michigan
. The Mercer Museum houses over forty thousand artifacts from early American society.
Mercer died on March 2, 1930 at Fonthill, the house he designed and constructed from reinforced concrete
in 1908-1912.
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...
, his home, 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 the Mercer Museum
Mercer Museum
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...
.
Early life and education
Henry Mercer was born in Doylestown, PennsylvaniaDoylestown, 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 :...
on June 24, 1856. Mercer first traveled to Europe in 1870. He attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
between 1875 and 1879, obtaining a liberal arts degree. Mercer went on to study law at University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
between 1880 and 1881, and he read law
with the firm of Freedley and Hollingsworth. The same year he began studying on the University of Pennsylvania, he became a founding member of the Bucks County Historical Society.
Career
Mercer, however, never practiced law. Mercer was admitted to the Philadelphia County Bar on November 9, 1881, but departed for Europe the same month. From 1881 to 1889, Mercer extensively traveled through FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The University of Pennsylvania Museum appointed Mercer as the Curator of American and Prehistoric Archeology in the early 1890s. Leaving his position with the Museum in the late 1890s, Mercer devoted himself to finding old American artifacts and learning about German pottery. Mercer believed that American society was being destroyed by industrialism, which inspired his search for American artifacts. Mercer founded Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in 1898 after apprenticing himself to a Pennsylvania German potter. Mercer was also influenced by the American Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
.
Mercer is well known for his research and books about ancient tool making, his ceramic tile creations, and his engineering and architecture. He wrote extensively on his interests, which included archeology, early tool making, German stove plates, and ceramics. He assembled the collection of early American tools now housed in the Mercer Museum. Mercer's tiles are used in the floor of the Pennsylvania State Capitol
Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is in downtown Harrisburg. It was designed in 1902 in a Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance themes throughout...
Building in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
and in many other noteworthy buildings and houses. In the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Mercer created a series of mosaic images for the floor of the building. The series of four hundred mosaics trace the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from prehistoric times. The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the largest single collection of Mercer's tiles. Other collections of tiles by Mercer can be found at Rockefeller's New York estate, Grauman's Chinese Theater, the casino at Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, and the St. Louis Public Library
St. Louis Public Library
The St. Louis Public Library is a municipal public library system in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It operates sixteen locations, including the main Central Library location. Although similarly named, the St. Louis Public Library is unrelated to the St...
.
Fonthill and the Mercer Museum
The Bucks County Historical Society now owns FonthillFonthill (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...
, which is open to the public, and the Mercer Museum. The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works is owned and operated by the Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
Department of Parks & Recreation. These three buildings make up "the Mercer Mile". All three buildings were designed and constructed by Henry Mercer in the early part of the 20th century.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
stated that the Mercer museum was the only museum worth visiting in the United States, and the Mercer Museum was apparently Henry Ford's inspiration for his own museum, The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, , in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, USA, is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex...
, located in Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. The Mercer Museum houses over forty thousand artifacts from early American society.
Mercer died on March 2, 1930 at Fonthill, the house he designed and constructed from reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
in 1908-1912.
Selected publications
- The Lenape StoneLenape StoneThe 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...
, or the Indian and the Mammoth (1885) - The Hill-Caves of Yucatan (1895)
- The Antiquity of Man in the Delaware Valley and the Eastern United States (1897)
- Guidebook to the Tiled Pavement in the Pennsylvania State Capitol (1908)
- The Bible in Iron (1914)
- Ancient Carpenters' Tools (1929)