The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-12-17
A PLACE YOU
SHOULD VISIT

NEW HOPE-One of the most in
teresting museums in this country is
at Doylestown, Pa. says the Type
Metal Magazine. And with time it
will become one of the most useful.
1t is officially knows as "The Bucks
County Historical Society,"" but it is
really an historical collection of all
the tools used in the upbuilding of
this nation from the earliest time.
This collection was conceived and
is endowed by Dr. Henry C. Mercer,
a resident of Doylestown, who is
nationally known not only as an edu-
Gator, but as a successful manufac-
turer of art tile.
The collection is housed in a very
heavy type of concrete building, con-
structed at DIR. MERGERS expense
even the roof and the window frames
are of concrete, the doors and win
dows of steel, so that the contents
will survive any fire from without.
The museum includes about 35 dis
tinct classifcations.
First of these are the master tools,
pertaining to the major operations of
nation building, the first of which
u,
Following this classification are
those of clothing, shelter and trans
portation.
The first floor of the building is
given up to these master tools and
devices which include actual specimens
of all known forms of shovels, hoes,
rakes, plows and harrows.
There is every known distinct form
of Ynloyxy
the shovel plow, the moldboard pillow,
and SO on down to the present COM
mon form of shear pillow.
This classification of the tools and
devices used in the obtaining of food
also embraces all the early forms of
grinding grain: the mortar and pestle
used by the Indians and very early
settlers, including the dressed stones,
the burr mill and application of water
power with actual examples of the
overshot, undershot and turbine water
wheels.
The classification of clothing con-
tains all early forms of the domestic
textile devices with actual examples
OF the garments for both men and
women from cloth produced by these
devices.
The tools for shelter-making include
all known forms of the ak, the adze,
cross-cut saws, all early forms of car
penter and mason tools and certain
primitive forms of wood working
machines.
Those of transportation include the
OK cart, the stone boat, the prairie
schooner down to and including the
early type of spring wagon and top
buggy.
The building has three floors or bal
comics opening on to the main floor
and from these are glass front alcoves
which contain the subsidiary classifi-
cations of the museum.
In these alcoves are shoemaker
bench and tools, complete black
smiths shop, of type in general use
up until about generation ago;
hatmaker's tools, cigar and spirit
making equipment, matchmaker
tools, early drug and surgical in
struments; an almost complete col
lection of sewing machines, and early
forms of stoves, including an original
Franklin.
In the general collection are all
primitive means of drawing water,
together with all the many forms of
well pumps and several hand-fire
engines.
A visit to this museum at Doyles-
town is like getting up on the hill of
progress and looking back.
The great constructive value of it
all is to see how very common oper-
atoms in the way of life were once
performed; that if we have gone this
far in the way of progress, the future
is bright for further advancement.
The collection also enables US to
see how man has harnessed natural
forces and laws in order to free his
body from burden and effort. Finally
it teaches us that the desire of man
for ease is the mother and the father
of all invention.
Quarrels Avoided.