Mercer and Fonthill Museums are Destination for NYSHA Motorcoach Trip

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y., March 24, 2008—The Bucks County Historical Society in picturesque Doylestown, Pennsylvania, is the destination for a members’ and guests’ day trip sponsored by the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA) on Sunday, May 4, 2007.

Members and guests will experience the legacy of Henry C. Mercer, noted tile-maker, archaeologist, artist, writer, and leader in the turn-of-the-century American Arts and Crafts movement, with a visit to National Historic Landmarks, the Mercer and Fonthill Museums and Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Trip goers will enjoy exploring Mercer’s castle-like home, Fonthill, a concrete building with 44 rooms representing many of the personal interests of Mercer including thousands of European and American prints, and decorative ceramic tiles from around the world; The Moravian Pottery, where handmade tiles are still produced in a manner similar to that developed by the pottery’s founder; and the Mercer Museum, a six-story structure brimming with Mercer’s vast collection of early American everyday objects. Visitors will find more than 60 Early American crafts and trades represented, including a wealth of woodworking, metalworking, agricultural, textile, and dairy tools. An audio guide, changing exhibits, hands-on activities and museum shop enhance your visit.

The motorcoach will depart from The Farmers’ Museum parking lot, located on 5775 State Route 80, Lake Road, Cooperstown at 6:30 am and return at approximately 10:00 pm. The motorcoach will also be picking up and dropping off at the Oneonta Bus Lines Terminal. The cost is $75 NYSHA members/$85 non-members. Reservations are required by April 21; payment is due at the time of registration. There will be no refunds given after April 21. Seating is limited; please call Carla Eckler, Manager of Membership, at (607) 547-1425 to reserve your space.

About the New York State Historical Association
The New York State Historical Association is committed to engaging and connecting a broad public audience to New York State’s unique cultural heritage through exhibitions, extensive library collections, statewide educational programs, and publications that provoke, delight, and inspire. Founded in 1899, NYSHA is a private, non-profit, membership-based, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving, collecting, and interpreting art and historical artifacts significant to New York State’s rich history and American culture. The Association’s remarkable collections, showcased in the Fenimore Art Museum, comprise some of the best examples of American landscape, history, and genre paintings including seminal works by Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Cole, William Sidney Mount and Benjamin West; the renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, a masterpiece collection of more than 800 art objects, representing a broad scope of North American cultures; and one of the nation’s most comprehensive and significant folk art collections. NYSHA’s Research Library holdings include over 90,000 volumes on American, New York State, and local history. For more information on the Association, the Fenimore Art Museum, the Research Library, or Membership, please call (607) 547-1400 or visit www.nysha.org. The Association’s mailing address is P.O. Box 800, 5798 State Hwy. 80, Lake Rd., Cooperstown, NY 13326

For more information or images, please contact:
Christine Liggio/Public Relations Office
New York State Historical Association
Fenimore Art Museum/The Farmers’ Museum
Phone: (607) 547-1472/E-mail: c.liggio@nysha.org