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FRIDAY AUGUST 23, 2024 • VOL. 54, NO. 34
Tiles Made At The Moravian Tile Works In Doylestown, Pa., That Adorn Fireplace Surrounds In York, Maine By Justin W. Thomas Henry Chapman Mercer (18561930) was born in 1856 to a wealthy Doylestown, Bucks County, Pa., family. One of Mercer’s greatest influences was his Aunt Lela, otherwise known as Elizabeth Chapman Lawrence (1829-1905), as she exposed Henry to her life in society and instilled in him a great sense of self-awareness and independence. Born in Doylestown, Elizabeth attended one of Philadelphia’s female academies, where
collecting objects that he felt told the story of human achievement. He believed that studying the tools that people used in everyday life painted a picture of their progression. Among his studies were examining stone artifacts in the Delaware Valley and exploring the hill caves on the Yucatan Peninsula. While building his collection, Mercer developed a special interest in the Pennsylvania German and Moravian settlers. He was particularly attracted to German pottery and Moravian tile work. By
Spatterware And Leeds China To Lead Quality Sale
Another view of Mercer’s Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown, Pa. Mercer. Archaeologist, anthropologist, ceramist, scholar and antiquarian, Mercer built Fonthill both as his home and as a showplace for his collection of tiles and prints. The building served as a showplace for Mercer’s famed Moravian tiles that were produced during the American Arts and Crafts Movement. Designed by Mercer, the building is an eclectic mix of Medieval, Gothic, and
Laura and Frank Swain. In accordance with Mercer’s will, Mrs. Swain resided in the house and conducted occasional tours until her death in 1975.” Afterwards, the Trustees of the Mercer Fonthill Museum contracted with the Bucks County Historical Society in order to upkeep, landscape and manage the building and its grounds. However, this was not the only
1889, he was producing his own architectural tiles, for which he became famous. Mercer was an advocate of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, and this passion was certainly an influential factor in how he manufactured his tiles in Doylestown. Chapman oversaw the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works from 1898 until his death in 1930. The tile works was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was included with the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle as a National Historic Landmark District in 1985. Fonthill Castle was the concrete home of Mercer, in which he lavished and embellished with his tile work creations and other decorative objects that filled each room, some of which were embedded for display into the concrete walls. A cco rd i n g to t h e M e rce r Museum and Fonthill Castle, “Built between 1908-1912, Fonthill was the home of Henry Chapman
Conestoga Auctions, a division of the Hess Auction Group in Manheim, Pa., is excited to feature items from the estate of Michael E. Ford, of Coopersburg, Pa., on Friday, Aug. 30. Ford had a love for early 19th century china, particularly spatterware and Leeds soft paste china, but he also collected quality examples of stoneware, country furniture, and functional woodenware material. The stoneware category i n c l u d e s a ra re A . J . B u t t l e r three-gallon jug decorated with a standing deer design and stamped “A.J. Buttler, Manufacturer New Brunswick, N.J.” It stands 15 inches high and is in very good condition. Continued on page 7
Doylestown Arts Festival Returns Sept. 7 And 8 Bucks County’s Biggest Weekend Will Bring Art, Music, And Culture To The Streets Of Doylestown, Pa.
Chapman Cottage in York, Maine, is located next to the summer mansion, both owned by Henry Mercer. Built in 1899, today both properties are part of the York Harbor Inn. her social contacts included members of the city’s society, and in 1854, she married Timothy Bigelow Lawrence (1826-69), a wealthy son of a New England tex t i le fa m i ly. S h e pa i d fo r Mercer’s education at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as his trips abroad. She also contributed the money to build what became the Mercer Museum, and when she died in 1905, she left the bulk of her estate to Henry, who used it to build his home at Fonthill. After graduating from Harvard in 1879, Henry Mercer studied law at the University of Pennsylvania, but he never pursued a career in the field. Instead, Mercer’s interests turned to archaeology. He became the curator of American and Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania’s museum from 1894-97. His site excavations as an archaeologist led to his interest in unearthing what drove America before the Industrial Age. Mercer began
Hess Auction Group To Feature The Collection Of The Late Michael E. Ford On Aug. 30
This is the second fireplace surrounded with tiles in the mansion that Henry Mercer owned in York, Maine. Tiles on the floor were also made at the tile works. Byzantine architectural styles and is significant as an early example of poured reinforced concrete. Upon his death in 1930, Mercer left his concrete “Castle for the New World” in trust as a museum of decorative tiles and prints. He gave life rights to Fonthill to his housekeeper and her husband,
property owned by Mercer; Mercer also owned a summer mansion in York, Maine. Furthermore, in the summer of 1891, he conducted some archaeology along the York River, finding 38 different heaps of clam shells (or middens), fabric-marked pieces of aboriginal Continued on page 6
The Doylestown Arts Festival will return for its 33rd anniversary on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7 and 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The festival remains free to attend and is designed to illuminate the region’s ongoing commitment to arts and culture. For two days the historic downtown Doylestown streets will be transformed into a lively outdoor marketplace full of art and music from local and regionally recognized creators. Founded in 1991, the Continued on page 5
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . .
starting on page 2
SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . .
on page 4
EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR on page 5 AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . on page 6 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . . . . on page 6
FEATURE ARTICLE: Haddon Heights Sales Special - Page 3
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 7