Vineland Historical Society
108 South Seventh Street
Vineland, NJ 08360
(856) 691-1111
https://discovervinelandhistory.org
https://www.facebook.com/discovervinelandhistory.org
Open: The third Saturday of each month from 1:00pm-4:00pm
Admission: Free but donations are appreciated
My review on TripAdvisor:
The front of the Vineland Historical Society Museum at 108 South Seventh Street in Downtown Vineland, NJ
On my off time from the Firemen’s Convention after voting, I decided to visit a group of small museums in Cumberland and Glouster Counties in New Jersey. Most of the small ones were closed or had changed their hours online but the Vineland Historical Society was open for touring and was having a speaker that day. I had been invited to come by the President of their Board of Directors about a year earlier so I was glad that I was able to visit this weekend where the schedules matched up.
What an interesting museum with its focus not just on the history of the Town of Vineland but of the surrounding communities and the impact that Vineland had and has on Urban Design, Farming, Manufacturing and Inventions that contribute to the whole country.
The museum had been designed as a Historical Museum for community leaders who wanted to share their love of historical objects and the past history of the community. This is what built the collection over the years. Each section of the museum tells a different part of Vineland’s history from the community events like its “100th Anniversary” of the town, the history of the Police, Fire and Veterans of Foreign Wars, members of the community who contributed to Women’s Suffrage and to the number of everyday products we use like Grape Juice and Marshmallow Fluff that were invented here. Each section of the museum tells an interesting story.
About the Museum:
The museum is a stop on the Woman’s Suffrage Tour
The Mission of the Museum:
The Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society is the oldest local historical society in New Jersey and its museum is the oldest purpose-built museum in the State of New Jersey. The Society is dedicated to collecting and preserving artifacts and records related to Vineland and the South Jersey region, and to sharing that material with visitors through exhibits, programs and other appropriate venues. Vineland has a rich, culturally-diverse past that is reflected through our collections. To learn more, please contact us or make an appointment to visit.
The Rain Garden outside the museum
The Rain Water Garden sign
The Rain Water Garden outside the museum was in full bloom at the Summer and you could see that the garden was trying to attract butterflies and other insects that would help pollinize the garden. It must be very colorful during the Spring.
The first floor of the museum is the lecture room, the library and the gift shop along with local artifacts and the Glass Manufactured Gallery
The main gallery was set for a lecture later that afternoon. On all sides of the museum tell the story and the timeline of Vineland and the surrounding communities. There is the City of Vineland and Vineland Borough and Landis Township in 1952. So you see the artifacts of the farming communities and those of the developing City (Wiki).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vineland,_New_Jersey
The early views of the museum with the original heating unit and turn of the century shell art
Historical community information
The First floor collection of artifacts
The bust of Charles K. Landis, who founded the town
The display of the early Women’s Suffrage Movement in town, which helped women earn the right to vote. New Jersey was an early pioneer in the Movement.
The photo of Portia Kellogg Chase, an early leader in the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Vineland, NJ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_Gage
The artifacts on the start of the early creation of a local family business. Putting shovel to the ground.
Early musical instruments that were part of both home and social life
The portraits of early leaders of the community and artifacts related to their families
The portrait of Charles K. Landis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_K._Landis
https://www.cumberlandcountynj.gov/Charles-K-Landis
The portrait of Portia Kellogg Chase as a young bride
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_Gage
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206936062/portia-gage
The portrait of John Gage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gage_(19th-century_landowner)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/236816796/john-gage
Made in Vineland: A Celebration of Local Inventors and Their Creations:
The exhibition highlights the remarkable people and ideas born right here in Vineland. From everyday household items to groundbreaking innovations in transportation, food, tools, and telecommunications, this special 2026 exhibit tells the stories of local inventors whose creations shaped daily life far beyond our city. Visitors are invited to explore these inventions and the fascinating individuals behind them during our Open House held every third Saturday of the month.
The ‘Made in Vineland’ exhibition:
The inventions of the Flower vase, the Woodruff Train Car and the Self Adjusted Plane
The inventions of Angel Food Cake Marshmallow fluff
The inventions of the Grape Juice industry and Skee-ball game
The post office desk from the turn of the last century
Just off the side of the main room is the Blown Glass Room. The area is known for special sand that is used for glass making. This made the State of New Jersey one of the leading manufacturers of glass in the country at the time.
The Blown Glass Room
Each of the cases displays glass for different purposes and for different industries made by different companies. The museum has a very extensive collection of glass.
The Blown Glass Room
The Blown Glass Room
The Blown Glass Room
The Grape Juice industry glass and advertising display
The founding of the Welsh Grape company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welch%27s
The photo of Thomas Bramwell Welsh, the founder of the company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bramwell_Welch
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/raise-a-juice-box
The medical glass display
The Kimble Glass Company display
The display of the artwork of glass ends and tests. These items are made what is left over after production.
The displays on the way to the second floor galleries were the early photography display and the Vineland High School display.
The early photography display
The Vineland High School display of photographs and memorabilia
https://www.vineland.org/o/vshs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vineland_High_School
As you walk up the stairs to the second floor, you pass the Portrait Gallery of prominent family members of the community.
The family Portrait display leading to the second floor galleries
The Second floor gallery and glass display
The display on the immigrant contributions to the Vineland Community.
The Italian immigrant contributions to Vineland
The Italian immigrant artifacts
Individual display cases
Farmhouse cooking equipment
Formal wear and accessories
The Vineland Egg industry
The Vineland ‘100th Anniversary’ exhibition
The Vineland’s Veterans display
The Vineland Fire Department display
https://www.facebook.com/vinelandfire
The Military, Vineland Police and Fire Department displays
https://police.vinelandcity.org
https://www.instagram.com/vineland_police/?hl=en
The Charles K. Landis Room:
The Landis family continues to add to the Charles K. Landis Room with family furnishings and heirlooms so there are items from many different eras.
The entrance to Charles Landis Family Room
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_K._Landis
https://www.cumberlandcountynj.gov/Charles-K-Landis
The Landis Room display of Indian Artifacts
The inside of the room of the Landis family mementos and heirlooms donated over the years by family members
At the end of the tour by the first floor entrance were the museum library where researchers and residents can find family records.
The museum Research Room and Library
The Museum Gift shop on the first floor of the museum
Looking at the historic map of Vineland by the door as I was leaving
It was a really interesting visit to the museum and I learned not just about the history of the community but its place in New Jersey as well.
Touring historic Downtown Vineland after the tour
https://www.facebook.com/mainstreetvineland
https://www.instagram.com/mainstreetvineland
