George Daynor, a former Alaskan gold prospector, came to South Jersey after losing all of his money in the 1929 stock market crash. He bought seven acres of land for a dollar an acre and proceeded to build a palace made entirely out of junk and other detrius. He dubbed it the Palace of Depression as a tribute to what was possible during difficult economic times if one was resourceful. It was completes in 1932 and it soon became a popular tourist attraction. Twenty-five cents would buy you a tour of the estate.
Daynor and the palace fell on hard times and in 1964 Daynor died penniless. Following his death, the City of Vineland was eager to get rid of what they considered an eyesore and the grounds were flattened. Only the ticket hut remained. In recent years a group has been working to rebuild the Palace.
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