Henry Mercer

So for our first homework assignment we were asked to do a little research on Henry Mercer.

Here's what I found interesting...

Henry Mercer was born and grew up in Pennsylvania. Not only did he collect a vast amount of objects during his lifetime but he also was an archaeologist, tile-maker, and designed Fonthill (his house), Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, and the Mercer Museum.  Mercer also graduated from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.    

Why did Mercer collect so many artifacts?

Henry apparently believed that American society was being washed away by industrialism.  He wanted to keep intact the memory of what life was before the industrial revolution.  Because of his collection, we now know what types of tools and the kind of lives people lead before the revolution.  What amazes me is that the museum contains over 40,000 artifacts from American society.

I found Henry Mercer to be a very educated, curious, and ambitious man.  I couldn't imagine collecting over 40,000 artifacts.  He made a wonderful contribution to American history. Because of Mercer, America, pre-industrial revolution, has been preserved and can be experienced by anyone who visits his museum. 

Here are some images of Mercer's tile works:

And here is a picture of a room inside the Mercer Museum: