The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-05-25
BEFORE MACHINERY CANE.
IMPLEMENTS OF THE oLDEN
TIME GROUPED IN LITTLE
MUSEUM.
Ooylestown's Unique Exhibit-over
Rare Old Fireplace There Are
Quaint Reminders of Times That
Succeeded Those of the Indian
Firestick.

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lion of the most primitive imple-
ments of household, farm and gen.
sral industrial use in provincial Penn
sylvania. A still more complete col
lection is to be found, however, at
the celebrated home of the MERGERS,
standing short distance from the
Court House and surrounded by one
Of the finest collections of trees
and shrubbery to be found within the
State. It is claimed that the Court
House collection of implements was
largely gathered and contributed by
Henry Mercer, and that, while it is
in some respects duplicate of his
studio collection it, falls far short in
completeness.
While the name of William Mercer
has been prominently associated with
the manufacture of cement castings
for garden ornamentation, and uni
que experiments along this line, that
of his brother, Henry Mercer, is
doubtless better known in connection
with his experimentation and novel
achievement along the line of decora-
tive clay products. But the fame of
the latter should be even better
known in connection with his tireless
industry and study and painstaking
effort to collect the most complete
display of early implements to oe
found within the State of Pennsyl-
vania.
One can scarcely comprehend the
amount of labor involved in collect
ing, labelling and arranging this ex-
hibit, now almost entirely covering
the walls and ceiling of his roomy
studio, which stands back in the
shruhbery in the rear of the Mercer
mansion. And yet, on entering the
building, the visitor is simply over
wheimed by the innumerable imple-
ments awaiting his study and excit-
ing his curiosity. The studio is tall
building, having the effect of two
stories and a loft when viewed from
the outside. The interior, however,
shows single high-ceiling room, with
gallery extending around 1t. 1t
would require days to carefully study
Inc luultluudl CALlDIt0 anu ASeAAh "a
their history and some of the difficult
ties encountered by Mr. Mercer in
securing them, as no expense, time
or trouble has been spared by this
enthusiastic collector in making his
exhibit the most unique and valuable
to be found in any private museum.
The earliest methods of lighting
comprise a collection especially won
derful because of the numerous varie-
ties on ancient contrivances; from
the fire-sticks and tinder-boxes,
through the various stages of candle
lighting, with a display of quaint
candlesticks, and the earliest of cur
ious lamps. Mr.. Mercer will describe
most entertainingly the seemingly
endless samples in this display, the
fire-stick of Indian days being prob
ably the most ancient. General
| George Crook is claimed to have been
one of the first, to discover and de-
scribe the fire-stick used by the In
dams of the Sierra Nevada and Cas-
cade ranges, and the Indians of the
Eastern sections also displayed
similar continuance, Pennsylvania
contributing especially to this novelty
among the Indian tribes along the up
per Delaware River.
On one side of the museum is a
huge open fireplace, which recalls
vividly the olden days. There lay
within its great nav a huge backlog,
expected to last week, or, perchance,
an elongated rock, before and over
where it cracked and blazed, while
an imaginative youngster of the
household sat before bedtime in the
corner-seat of the fireplace, listening
to the salamander piping its plaintive
note in the simmering fire.
But this is only one of many pic
lures that may be called up during
the study of the old fireplace and
the innumerable exhibits surround
ing it, for here we find curious Ian
/ terms with the Eight display" and
every possible device for spinning and
carding; every known contrivance of
the pioneers for cooking, baking and
UICHtu61 CNCAy POoSiDlC
help known to the provincial house
wife-dishes, pots, pans and kettles
Of crudest form, bread and butter
bowls, homemade basketry in every
form and for every possible use, even
to the contrivances, arranged on the
same order as the basket weaving,
for bee-hives, horse-collars, ETC.. etc.
Probably among the most interest
ing of the exhibits are found remind
ers of the days when "power-help,"
and even hand implements, except
the pillow, harrow, cider mill and some
flax-dressing and spinning contriv-
ances, were unknown ON the farm and
in the household, and when the few
mechanical workshops that. with the
tavern, the log church and the store,
made up the crossroads village, were
of the humblest kind; of the days
when even in the more pretentious
settlements there were rarely more
than the blacksmith, wheelwyight