I’ve continued my trend of exploring the museums and attractions Doylestown, Pennsylvania, has to offer. My most recent trip was to the Mercer Museum and its research library. The Mercer Museum is a fascinating collection of pre-Industrial tools gathered by Henry Mercer.

The museum opens into a big hall with wheels, boats, carriages and more hanging from the ceiling and walls. The seven floors display the various and extensive number of tools collected by Mercer. The museum features the tilework Mercer is known for. It can be notably found in the museum’s research library found on the third floor.

The library is a major research center for Bucks County with thousands of periodicals, pamphlets, government documents and more. The library is open to both researchers and museum patrons.

The library is a great cozy spot to open a book. Tall columns hold up the arched ceiling and open the space to display both levels of books and manuscripts. The floor is occupied by research tables and ornate displays.

My favorite part is the ceramic tiles wrapping around the columns and decorating the ceiling feature the townships and boroughs of Bucks County. The intimate and impressive architecture had me wishing I could sit in the library and read for hours.

Access to the library is free with a museum admission ticket or for members of the Bucks County Historical Society. Patrons are allowed to take books off the shelves but must be left to be reshelved by the library.

I will definitely be back to explore the shelves and architecture of the library even if I can’t check a book out. I’d rather sit and stay anyway.

— Caroline Craig, administrative & advertising coordinator