Located on South Mill Rd., it was a bright and multi-colored "castle" made from clay, concrete and auto parts found on the site and in nearby junkyards.

Daynor called it his "antidote for the Great Depression".

Being close to Atlantic City, "the Palace" was visited by many tourists. It became so popular that it was put on maps of the area.

The building included secret passageways, elaborate cellars, gables, minarets and spires. There was one room which contained a wishing well where you could have a 10 pound bowling ball lowered onto your head to "wipe out bad memories".

George Daynor

Daynor was a bit eccentric. He lived in an old car on the site for 3 years while he drained a swamp and built the Palace. He sported a long beard, mustache, and shoulder length red hair in which he wore bobby pins. He also wore lipstick and rouge. For tours of his Palace, he would dress as a prospector.

Not much is known of his younger days. He boasted he once was a gold miner in Alaska. He said he accumulated a fortune, then lost it all in the Wall Street crash of 1929. With only a few dollars in his pocket, he came to Vineland at the request of an angel.

In the 1940's, Universal Pictures filmed a black and white film short there, called "The Fantastic Castle". In 1956, Daynor appeared on the television program 'You Asked For It!' Even Robert Ripley ran a "Believe it or Not" cartoon of the Palace.

More recently, in 1983, the movie "Eddie and the Cruisers" had some scenes shot in Vineland, and at a studio version of the Palace.

Palace Depression

The Palace's downfall began when Daynor got an idea for an ill-fated publicity stunt. There had been a kidnapping in 1957, the Weinberger case, and for publicity, George claimed he had been contacted by the kidnappers and asked to hide the victim, an infant, at the Palace. He contacted newspapers and even sent a telegram to famed columnist Walter Winchell.

But his scheme went sour when the FBI was called in to investigate the claim. They prosecuted him for fraud. He was found guilty and jailed for one year.

This left his Palace unattended and open for theives and vandals. They damaged and burned the building.

The next year, when he was released from jail, Daynor was in poor health.

In 1961, he went into the county hospital. He was suffering from malnutrition. Three years later, on Oct 24, 1964, George Daynor died. He claimed to be over 100 years old at the time of his death.

Being penniless, the city buried him in Potter's Field. Soon after his death, a mysterious fire gutted the Palace of Depression.

In 1969, the city of Vineland bulldozed most of the Palace. The only thing left standing now, is the ticket booth.

However, there are rumors that there is a move on to rebuild the Palace in the near future. The Palace of Depression Restoration Association, Inc., hopes to raise $300,000 for that purpose.

Biography of George Daynor	Biography of George Daynor

Driveway and the Ticket Booth	Ticket Booth	Driveway out to South Mill Rd.

Built-In Benches	Inside the Ticket Booth

Ticket Booth	Ticket Booth

Driveway and the Ticket Booth	Ticket Booth