Mercer Museum Executive Director To Retire After 34 Years Of Service

The longtime president and executive director of the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle has announced he will retire in June after 34 years of service.

Douglas Dolan has led the museum and castle through years of success and change. The Board of Directors of the Bucks County Historical Society, which operates the museum and castle, said it is in the final stages of a nationwide search for his replacement.

Thanks to Dolan’s leadership, the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle have grown into two of Bucks County’s most prominent tourist attractions, drawing more than 95,000 visitors each year.

“It has been an honor and privilege to continue the vision of Henry Mercer and to educate and engage visitors with the stories and artifacts of the past,” Dolan said in a statement. “With the Mercer Museum celebrating its 100th anniversary last year, I thought the time was right to pass the torch to another steward for this extraordinary cultural legacy.”

Under Dolan's direction, the castles were named National Historic Landmarks in 1985 and received accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) in 1992. In 2016, the museums were awarded Smithsonian Affiliation.

"Dolan has guided the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle through numerous expansion and restoration projects. In 2011, he spearheaded a $12.5 million capital campaign that enabled the Mercer Museum to build a new wing featuring a state-of-the-art learning center, changing exhibitions space and upgraded visitor amenities. Other notable projects over the years include the building of a 9,500 square foot, off-site Collections Study and Storage facility to house the museums’ collections, and the restoration of Fonthill Castle’s Terrace Pavilion and its adaptive reuse as an education and program center," the museum said in a statement.

“Doug's impact on our institution will continue to be felt for years to come,” said Bucks County Historical Society Board Chair, John R. Augenblick. “He has left us well-positioned to enter a new and exciting phase.”