Fonthill Celebrates the Holidays

Visit the stone castle for a Winter Wonderland tour.

The castle home of Henry Mercer will be decked out for the holidays in preparation for a series of captivating tours to celebrate the season.  The festivities kick off with the Winter Wonderland Holiday Tours on December 1. In the Winter Wonderland Tours,  guests experience the visual splendor of Fonthill, replete with themed Christmas trees, Victorian decorations and greens throughout the castle.    Winter Wonderland Tours run until December 31 and reservations are recommended. Winter Wonderland Tours are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6 for youth, ages 6-17. Bring the children to Fonthill Park for an afternoon of Holiday Festivities for the Family on Sunday December 9, from noon to 4 p.m.  Guests will enjoy Fonthill's holiday …

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The History Guy

Why Is Fonthill in Doylestown Township?

While Doylestown Borough borders Fonthill on three sides, it is likely the property was never annexed because of opposition from owner Henry C. Mercer.

As Fonthill marks the 100th anniversary of its completion this year, The History Guy tackles a question about the story behind its location.   Street maps show the Fonthill property is bordered on the west, north and south by Doylestown Borough and on the east (Swamp Road) by Buckingham Township. Logically, Fonthill should be in the borough. Why is it in Doylestown Township instead? - W.J., Doylestown.   When Doylestown Borough was incorporated in 1838, it consisted of 488 acres taken from Doylestown Township. The boundaries were East Street on the east side, West Street on the west side, a line roughly parallel to today's Doyle Street on the north side and a line below Ashland Street on the south side. These borders remained unchanged for…

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Fonthill Named to 'Awe-Inspiring' Castles List

Henry Mercer's iconic home has been listed as a top U.S. castle to visit.

Locals know the pleasure of strolling down the tree-lined driveway leading to Doylestown's iconic cement castle, and now, readers of a popular travel magazine might, too. Fonthill has been named to a list of the United States' top 12 castles, compiled by Budget Travel magazine. Heralding Fonthill's "mishmash of medieval, Gothic, and Byzantine styles," the magazine description also points out the historical artifacts preserved in both Fonthill and the Mercer Museum. The list of castle vacation ideas also includes another Pennsylvania entry, the Gray Towers Castle in Glenside. Also making the list were Hammond Castle, in Gloucester, Mass.; Castello di Amorosa, in Calistoga, Calif.; and Gillette Castle in East Haddam, Conn. - though most …

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Fonthill to Host Old-Fashioned Fourth of July

The family-friendly event returns to the grounds of Henry Mercer's castle in honor of Independence Day.

Fonthill Castle marks its 100th anniversary with an extra-special Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 from noon to 4 p.m., on the grounds of the castle. The family-friendly event features a variety of activities including old-fashioned games, live music and entertainment, along with the yearly tradition, the children’s decorated bike parade. Guests also will be able to view an anastatic facsimilie of the Declaration of Independence and learn how it was discovered. The day's festivities kick off with the children's decorated bike parade at 12:30 p.m. Children are invited to dress up themselves and their bikes (or other wheeled conveyance) in red, white and blue for the traditional ride down Fonthill's tree-…

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Council Honors Fonthill's 100 Years

Doylestown Borough Council presented the remembrance at a recent meeting.

Fonthill is marks its 100th year of existence this year, and Doylestown Borough Council wanted to recognize the achievement. Doylestown Mayor Libby White recently presented a plaque to Douglas C. Dolan, executive Director of the Bucks County Historical Society, which oversees the Mercer Museum and Fonthill. White presented the plaque to Dolan on behalf of borough council members at a council meeting on May 21. "We recognize and celebrate the contribution to the Doylestown community of the Fonthill castle," White said, urging everyone to visit and enjoy the landmark. "Fonthill is an extraordinary historic site, part of both the borough and the township," Dolan said, adding "I look forward to what we can do going forward."

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Fonthill's Guardians Recognized for a Century of Work

The Bucks County Historical Society won a regional award for maintaining Fonthill castle.

Doylestown's eccentric native son Henry Mercer would be proud. Mercer's concrete castle, Fonthill, has been an icon of Doylestown for a century, and now, the group responsible for maintainting the architectural treasure is being recognized for its work. The Bucks County Historical Society will receive a Special 100th Anniversary Recognition Award from a nonprofit group dedicated to historic places in the greater Philadelphia region. The Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia is giving a preservation achievement award to the Bucks County Historical Society for "its outstanding service in preserving and protecting one of the region's most significant cultural assets, Fonthill Castle." The award, which marks the occasion of the castle'…

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Easter Egg Hunt Goes Off Without a Hitch

It was a beautiful day to race for goodies on the grounds of Fonthill.

The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and the kids were .... anxious. Hundreds of local youngsters lined up behind ropes strung through the trees near the field behind Fonthill on Saturday. They were there for the candy. Segregated into age groups - 3 and 4 year olds, 5 and 6 year olds, 7 and 8 year olds - they bounced on toes and hung on the ropes as they peered at the men in the field. But when those men - the men of Doylestown American Legion Post 210 - started opening up the black garbage bags and tossing brown paper bags on the grass, the kids snapped to attention. Then the race was on, as each age group took to their heels to snatch up the bags filled with candy goodness. Check out some of the photos we snapped at the hunt - …

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Winter Wonderland Tours Now at Fonthill

And bring the children to Fonthill for an afternoon of free holiday festivities for the family on Sunday, Dec. 4 from noon to 4 p.m.

The castle home of Henry Mercer will be decked out for the holidays in preparation for a series of unique and captivating holiday tours planned to celebrate the season The festivities kick off with the Winter Wonderland Holiday Decorations Tours on December 1, replacing the regular guided tours.  Visitors will experience the wonder of Fonthill Castle, with tours that take them through Mercer’s home to see his elaborately tiled rooms dressed up with themed trees, Victorian decorations, and greens throughout. Winter Wonderland Tours run until December 31. Reservations are recommended. Regular admission fees apply. Bring the children to Fonthill Park for an afternoon of free Holiday Festivities for the Family on Sunday, December 4 from noon …

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Turkey Bowl Played in the Mud

It was kids vs. parents Thursday at Fonthill for the annual neighborhood football game.

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Mark Glidden

6:29 pm on Friday, November 25, 2011

A longer tradition than you know. We played up there on Thanksgiving in the 70's and early 80's. Great memories.   more ›

The History Guy

What Was the Little Stone House in the Fonthill Woods?

The History Guy describes the glory days and eventual decline of the now-abandoned and vandalized cottage.

There is an abandoned stone house in the Fonthill woods which, sadly, has been gutted and spray-painted by vandals. What was this house and did it have any connection with Henry Mercer? - S.L., Buckingham   In 1907, Henry Mercer paid $12,200 for nine tracts of land, totaling about 70 acres, bounded by Court, East and North streets and Swamp Road, according to "Henry Chapman Mercer: An Annotated Chronology," published by the Bucks County Historical Society in 1989. The Thierolf farm consisted of 30 acres in the center of the property. When he built Fonthill from 1908 to 1912, Mercer encased the farmhouse in concrete and joined it to the "castle" section of his home. The wooden barn was razed and replaced by a concrete garage erected on its …

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Edward Levenson

3:21 pm on Monday, December 5, 2011

Laura Swain, Henry Mercer's housekeeper, lived in the Fonthill mansion after Mercer's death in 1930 until September 1974. She died in March 1975 at age 86. Fonthill administrator Edward Reidell said that, to the best of his knowledge, no one lived in the Little Stone House, which lacks water, sewer and electricity.   more ›