Saturday a week ago dawned gray and wet but it did not dampen the mood nor enthusiasm for the first Vineland Landmark Trolley Tour. The red and gold Vineland Trolley, combining 19th-century charm with modern functionality, transported guests to three unique historical sites in Vineland—Siloam Cemetery, The Palace of Depression, and Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society Museum.
Siloam Cemetery was established in 1864, three years after Vineland was founded. Vineland founder Charles K. Landis donated the land for the cemetery, which was originally 20 acres. Siloam Cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in architecture and landscape architecture.
Volunteer and Vineland High School English teacher Chris Mohan began the tour at the gravesite of Vineland’s founder and ended with a tour through the 1918 Gothic Revival chapel. He pointed out and described notable Vineland internments and provided details about the Victorian-era cemetery.
The next stop on the tour was the Palace of Depression. Guests were enthralled by the story of George Daynor, the eccentric creator of the original Palace, built on a swamp out of discarded materials and mud.
The original Palace opened on Christmas Day 1932. Between 1932 and 1956, the Palace attracted approximately 250,00 visitors from all over the world. For a nickel, Daynor gave a tour of the site he called “the greatest piece of originality ever brought about in the history of man.”
The demise of the Palace and its creator, who relentlessly pursued publicity, began in 1956 when Daynor was jailed for lying to federal authorities about the kidnapping of an infant. Vandals broke into the Palace searching for gold that Daynor claimed he buried in one of the rooms. After a fire, the city razed what was left of the Palace in 1969.
The grassroots efforts of the late Kevin Kirchner and his son, the late Kristian Kirchner, along with hundreds of volunteers, began the rebuilding of the Palace in 1998. The rebuilding continues today with Steven Medio leading a group of dedicated volunteers who continue the work started by the Kirchner family.
Steven Medio started the tour at the Dr. Frank DeMaio museum center, which highlights memorabilia and artifacts from the original Palace and the rebuilding. The tour continued through the one remaining original structure—the ticket booth—and into the rebuilt Palace. It must be viewed in person to truly capture the thoughtful design and unique artistry of this amazing building. Medio expertly described the “original” details and the modern-day interpretation of Daynor’s designs.
The final stop on the tour was the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society Museum. Established in 1864, it is the oldest local historical society in the State of New Jersey. The 1910 two-story museum has been remarkably preserved and maintains its original grand oak staircase, columns and woodwork.
Guests viewed Universal Studio’s 1944 Production of The Fantastic Castle, a nine-minute documentary film about George Daynor’s Palace of Depression.
VHAS Board President Valerie Neuber guided guests through the story of Vineland’s rich and progressive history. The tour continued into Vineland’s First House, located on the grounds of the museum. The tiny structure is the first house built in Vineland. Originally occupied in 1862, the building has served over the years as a home, a business, and a restaurant before it was moved to Landis Park. There, the park security guard occupied it before it was transported to the Society’s grounds in 1962.
The Landmark Partners thank Mayor Anthony Fanucci and the City of Vineland for providing the trolley.
Historic Ballot Box on Loan
On Monday April 28, four members of the Vineland Historical Society Board of Trustees traveled to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia to hand-deliver Portia Gage’s ballot box. The ballot box is on loan to the Museum of the American Revolution through February 2027 and will be part of their upcoming special exhibition titled “The Declaration’s Journey,” which opens on October 18, 2025.
The ballot box was used in 1868 when Portia Kellogg Gage, a founder of the New Jersey Women’s Suffrage Association and a resident of Vineland, led 172 women—including four black women—to vote in the federal election. When their ballots were refused, they set up their own table and their own special ballot box and proceeded to cast their votes. At the time, it was the largest suffrage protest staged in the United States.
