Welcome to
VINELAND HISTORICAL
and ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY

 A crisis is brewing behind the front doors of the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society museum, which has stood at the intersection of Seventh and Elmer Streets for 109 years. We need the help of area residents because, after generations of benign neglect, the repository of Vineland’s past needs serious attention. The three-story red brick building was designed by noted Philadelphia architect George E. Savage and constructed by James D. Pasquale, a Vineland contractor who built many local public buildings and private homes. Water leaking from the roof threatens the collections that are housed inside the museum. We are currently working with a contractor to make long-overdue repairs but the cost will have a serious impact on our already limited funds. And we haven't even started on the rest of the work, which includes repairing and painting the window and door frames, fixing cracked walls in the basement that let in water, and restoring the ceilings and walls that have suffered water damage (and that doesn't include what's going on behind the scenes). The basement windows need attention, as do the floors in the public exhibit area. The museum is considered to be the most important artifact in the Society’s collections, since it houses artwork, glassware, personal effects, furniture and other 19th century artifacts, including those related to Native American culture and the Civil War. However, as a private non-profit, the Society is not affiliated with the municipal government or any other historical organization and, as a result, has no annual funding from those sources. In addition to repairs to the museum, funding is needing to conserve artifacts such as the elegant oil painting of Dr. Mary J. Dunlap, the first woman to serve as director of the State School for Women located on Main Road. Competition for grants has grown fierce in recent years and the sponsoring agencies usually want the money spent on public programming, rather than preservation. Although the Society has maintained a small corps of dedicated members over the years, their contributions are simply not enough to support the work that is needed to properly maintain the museum and the collections. The trustees themselves have generously donated both time and money to maintain the museum but public support is now seen as vital. Donations to the Society are tax-deductible since it is a 501(C)3 non-profit. For further information, please contact the Society by calling 856-691-1111 or e-mailing vinelandhistory@gmail.com.