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A castle filled with pre-industrial tools and artifacts, the Mercer Museum is the perfect venue for a haunting exhibition. (Photo courtesy Mercer Museum)

When the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 it led to the end of World War II. In America, the immediate reaction was relief and celebration. But that soon turned to fear and uncertainty over the implications of the emerging atomic age.

Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965, an exhibition at Doylestown’s Mercer Museum, on display April 6-May 25, looks into just how deeply the threat of atomic war permeated daily life in America for the next two decades.

Featuring period artifacts, graphics, audio and video recordings, Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow delves into the fear-mongering and political rhetoric that fueled what came to be known as the Cold War. The exhibit amply demonstrates how this particular war involved extra heavy doses of propaganda and economic consequences.

For those of a certain age, the government pamphlets, radio announcements, comic books, toy ray guns and coverage of school “duck and cover” drills may bring back memories. If you’re too young to have lived through those days, then the display can give you an enlightening look into a unique period in America.

Special programs help bring the era to life even more:

• Cold War Era History Display: Sunday, April 22, noon-4 p.m.

• “Atomic Coffee House” Retro Folk Concert: Saturday, April 28, 7-9:30 p.m.

• Ladies’ Night at the Mercer Museum — 50′s Retro: Friday, May 11, 7-10 p.m.

Any way you look at it, this show is da bomb.

Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965
Where: Mercer Museum, 84 S. Pine Street, Doylestown
When: April 6-May 25
Cost: Free with admission (Adults $10, Seniors 65 and up $9, Youth 6-17 $6)
More info: www.mercermuseum.org