Welcome to
VINELAND HISTORICAL
and ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY

Please be advised that the museum will be closed to the public between Tuesday, May 14, and Friday, May 17. We have set aside this block of time to literally dig into the cemetery restoration project on the former Vineland Training School campus that we have planned in conjunction with Elwyn, Inc., the current owners of the property. We will be on-site from 9 am to 4 pm each day (except when it rains) and plan to clear out the overgrowth in order to clean up and document the headstones. Approximately 92 former residents are apparently buried there, including Carol Buck, the daughter of noted American author Pearl S. Buck. Volunteers are welcome but you must be at lease sixteen years old to work on-site and you must register with us to participate. If you can't assist, think about dropping off some water or snacks to keep the energy flowing. We will keep you posted as the plans progress!

If you are interested in South Jersey history and you like to write, please consider writing an article for the 2019 issue of the Vineland Historical Magazine, which has been published since 1916. The story can be of any length on any aspect of life in South Jersey--not just Vineland. Photographs or illustrations are welcome to accompany the article. All submissions must be received no later than September 30, 2019. Although we can't afford to pay you, we will make sure that you get two copies of the magazine so that you can show your work to family members and friends! To learn more, contact Patricia A. Martinelli, who edits the annual publication, at 856-691-1111 or vinelandhistory@gmail.com. 

 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. 

Since 2015, the Society’s board has completed a number of repairs at the museum and added a handicapped ramp. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to be done, including repairing and painting the window and door frames, fixing cracked walls in the basement that let in water, and restoring some of the ceilings and walls have suffered water damage. 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. According to Sandra K. Hearing, president of the board of trustees: “We once sat down and figured that if every person living in Vineland gave just $2 a year, we’d be able to handle virtually all of our operating costs. That would allow us to proceed with the repairs and maintenance of the collections that are long overdue.” 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.