The Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society is the oldest local historical society in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Its primary mission is to collect and preserve artifacts and records related to Vineland, New Jersey, the South Jersey region, and American history, and share that material with the public through exhibits, programs and other appropriate venues.

History

Founded in 1864, three years after the creation of the town of

Vineland ''Vineland'' is a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan's reelection.Knabb 2002 Through flashbacks by its characters, who have lived the sixties in their youth, th ...

, the society has been dedicated to preserving both local and regional history. The society's museum is the oldest purpose-built museum in the state. It opened to the public in 1910 at the corner of Seventh and Elmer Streets, just one block south of downtown Vineland. The museum features permanent exhibits of antique furnishings, paintings, military artifacts, broadsides, and musical instruments. There are rooms dedicated to the Civil War, the history of local Native American cultures, and glass making. The

Charles K. Landis Charles Kline Landis (March 16, 1833 – June 12, 1900) was a property developer in South Jersey, who was the founder and developer of Vineland, New Jersey, Vineland and Sea Isle City, New Jersey, Sea Isle City. Career His first foray as a d ...

room features many furnishings and personal items that once belonged to the town founder. The Society also maintains an archives at the museum, which includes photographs, local newspapers and South Jersey census records, as well as a library of general history and biographical works. The Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2014.

Collections

* The Civil War Room * The Glass Room * Native American Collection * Charles K. Landis Room, Founder of Vineland, N.J. * The Great Hall, exhibits * Art, Portraits, Glass, artifacts

Persons of note

* Frank D. Andrews * Victor Durand Jr. *

Mary Treat Mary Adelia Davis Treat (7 September 1830 in Trumansburg, New York – 11 April 1923 in Pembroke, New York) was a naturalist and correspondent with Charles Darwin. Treat's contributions to both botany and entomology were extensive—six spec ...

* Mary Tillotson *

Thomas Bramwell Welch Thomas Bramwell Welch (December 31, 1825 – December 29, 1903) was a British–American Methodist minister and dentist. He pioneered the use of pasteurization as a means of preventing the fermentation of grape juice. He persuaded local ...

, Creator of

Welch's Welch Foods Inc., commonly known as Welch's, is an American company, headquartered in Concord, Massachusetts. It has been owned by the National Grape Cooperative Association, a co-op of grape growers, since 1956.Hays, Constance LHow Too Much P ...

Grape Juice * Walter Lewis Shaw, telecommunications inventor

External links

Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society
{{Mid-Atlantic U.S. historical societies Vineland, New Jersey Historical societies in New Jersey