Fonthill Castle

"Between 1908 and 1916, Henry Chapman Mercer built three concrete structures by hand with a small group of laborers: Fonthill as his residence and for his collection of artifacts from around the world, Moravian Tile Works to bring back handmade tile in response to machine made, and the Mercer Museum as a showplace for artifacts of American industriousness (most of the thousands of items were secured by Mercer in the early part of the 20th century, put the collection is always being added to) Fonthill and Mercer Museum are sister properties and open to the public for tours. They are administered by the Bucks County Historical Society in Doylestown, PA. The Tileworks was provided as a bequest to a former worker, and so did not come under the auspices of the BCHS. After many years, it was taken over by park services and it open for tours, including demonstrations of how the tiles were made. From the beginning, the tiles were highly regarded and may be found in public buildings and other "castles," including the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts."