Field Trips at the Mercer Museum & Fonthill Castle
Let our experienced team of Museum Educators introduce your students to the creative genius of Henry Chapman Mercer and his collecting legacy. Mercer (1856-1930) was a historian, archaeologist, artist and tile maker who made Doylestown, Bucks County his home. Both the Mercer and Fonthill Museums represent and carry on this Renaissance man’s visionary ideas. At the Mercer Museum, students experience life in early America and the Delaware Valley through everyday objects, and can participate in a wide variety of interactive programs. At Fonthill Museum, young visitors are encouraged to explore Mercer’s extraordinary dream house. Youth tours at Fonthill are designed to highlight Mercer’s creativity and diverse interests by showcasing the amazing architecture and collections housed in this fascinating structure.

All of the programs and tours at the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle feature inquiry-based learning, original objects and/or reproductions from the collections, a variety of interactive group activities and tours, and hands-on/minds-on experiences that both enchant and educate.

These programs are open to school groups, scout groups, home school groups, and groups from other youth organizations.

Self-Guided Group Visits to the Mercer Museum – Groups of ten or more students are eligible to receive our group rate of $3.50 per youth. One adult chaperone is required for every ten students and is admitted free. Additional adults must pay the regular group admission of $6.00. A 10-15 minute orientation will be provided to all groups visiting on a self-guided basis.

Home School Groups – Please contact us about your group’s course of study and the various ages represented so that we can help tailor your visit to meet your needs.

Log House Life (preschool-grade 5, 25 students per group, 1 hour program)
This program transports students to life in a typical Bucks County/Delaware Valley log house two centuries ago, engaging learners through a variety of hands-on tasks. Costumed interpreters help students imagine they are in a different time and place by taking on the persona of a late colonial log house dweller. Intended for preschool and early elementary learners, the program is designed especially to develop historical thinking skills, including concepts of sequence, duration and distance in time.

PA Academic Standards Links: The Log House program links to grade- and age-appropriate Pennsylvania standards in the subject areas of Economics (scarcity and choice; markets and economic systems; and income, profit and wealth), Geography (human characteristics of places and regions), and History (historical analysis and skills development, Pennsylvania history, U.S. History, and world history).

Frontier Trading (grades 3-5, 25 students per group, 1 hour program)
Students participating in this “Frontier Life” program will experience the way that people lived in early American communities and went about obtaining the goods they needed to survive and prosper. Along the way students will develop an enhanced understanding of the challenges those people faced as well as an appreciation for the convenience of their own lives.

PA Academic Standards Links: The Frontier Trading programs links to grade- and age-appropriate Pennsylvania standards in the subject areas of Economics (scarcity and choice; markets and economic systems; economic interdependence; and income, profit and wealth), Geography (human characteristics of places and regions), and History (historical analysis and skills development, Pennsylvania history, U.S. History, and world history).

NJ Academic Standards Links: Frontier Trading also offers links to gradr- and age-appropriate New Jersey standards in the area of "U.S. History: America and the World," involving issues of economic interdependence and specialization, trade, immigration, and technological innovation.

Simple Machines (grades 3-5, 25 students per group, 1 hour program)
In this hands-on program, inspired by the Museum’s collection of pre-industrial hand tools, learners investigate examples of the six simple machines, explore how these machines make work easier, and then work together in groups to build a Simple Machines mobile. Students are encouraged to make connections between the program and their tour of the museum, in which they will encounter many hand tools and simple machines used to meet the wants and needs of 18th- and early 19th-century Americans.

PA Academic Standards Links: The Simple Machines program links to grade- and age-appropriate Pennsylvania standards in the subject areas of Science and Technology (scope of technology; technology and education; abilities for a technological world; and the designed world), and History (Pennsylvania, U.S. and World History).

NJ Academic Standards Links: Simple Machines also offers links to grade- and age-appropriate New Jersey standards in the areas of "Science Practices" and "Physical Sciences" as well as the area of "U.S. History: America and the World," involving issues of technological innovation.

Mercer Sampler (grades 3-5, max. 100 students per group, 2½ hour program)
Your students can experience two of our on-site offerings, tailored to their grade level, in this rotational program for large groups. The program consists of a museum visit and condensed versions of Log House Life and either Frontier Trading or Simple Machines.

Before You Book - What We Need to Know:

Please have the following information ready when you call or e-mail us about a tour or program reservation:

• Group or School Name
• School District
• Grade Level
• Primary Contact Person (Teacher)
• Mailing Address, Daytime Phone Number and E-mail Address
• Number of Students/Teachers/Chaperones
• Preferred Date and Time of Reservation (with two alternatives)
• Program/Tour Desired
• Information About Students with Special Needs

Contact us:

Please contact the Mercer Museum at 215-345-0210, ext. 123, or mmeduc@mercermuseum.org; or Fonthill Museum at 215-348-9461 ext. 10 or fhmail@fonthillmuseum.org to reserve a program/tour and schedule your visit. Groups interested in visiting the Mercer Museum on their own, without registering for a specific program, must still make an advance reservation.

Confirmation and Payment:

You will receive a letter or fax confirming your reservation within several days. Please note that your visit is not confirmed until you receive this formal confirmation and invoice. If you do not receive this confirmation in a timely manner please contact us to ensure your reservation.

Payments for all field trip visits are due before or on the day of the visit. Group numbers MUST be confirmed NO LATER than one week prior to the visit date. Payment will be required for the numbers confirmed plus any additional youths and adults that accompany the group on that day. You may confirm the group numbers for your visit by calling 215-345-0210, ext. 123 for the Mercer Museum, or 215-348-9461, ext. 10 for Fonthill Museum.

Arrival and Accessibility:  

Please make every effort to arrive on time. We cannot increase the length of a program or tour due to late arrivals, and some programs may need to be shortened. If your group is unavoidably delayed please notify us by calling the Mercer Museum reception desk at 215-345-0210 ext. 0, or Fonthill Museum at 215-348-9461 ext. 10. Due to limited space in our entry areas it is most helpful if early arrivals wait outdoors or on the bus until their appointed program or tour time.

Chaperones are required to stay with their groups at all times, both to assist students and to monitor behavior. Please prepare chaperones by outlining their responsibilities prior to your arrival.

The Mercer Museum is partially handicapped accessible by elevator and has an accessible restroom. Educational program areas have limited accessibility.  Fonthill Museum has limited accessibility. Please notify us when you make your reservation if your group includes students with special needs.

The Mercer Museum Shop offers a variety of affordable souvenirs for students.  Inquire about scheduling time to shop.

Lunch:

Lunch space is available on the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Museum grounds, both of which are equipped with some picnic tables. Groups are encouraged to bring balls and other outside play equipment to fully enjoy the space.

Museum Climate:

The Mercer Museum is not heated or air-conditioned. The temperature inside the museum roughly matches the outside temperature. Fonthill Museum is heated, but not air-conditioned. Students and chaperones are urged to dress accordingly.

Pre- and Post-Visit Activities:

Go to Teacher Resources to help you make the most of your museum experience. You’ll find activities, information and other resources to use in your classroom before, during, or after your visit.

Get acquainted with the physical arrangement of floors and exhibits at the Mercer Museum by downloading our Museum Guide.