patricia a. martinelli the vineland historical and...

The Vineland Historical and AntiquarianSociety recently disovered an unpublishedsci-fi manuscript penned by the town’sfounder in 1876 and are bringing it finally to print after 139 years!

Patricia A. MartinelliCurator, Vineland Historical

and Antiquarian Society

Take “A Trip to Mars” with Charles K. Landis Patricia A. Martinelli | www.GardenStateLegacy.com Issue 28 June 2015

Many small historical societies struggle these dayswith everything from limited finances to even-more-limited help. But those challenges rarely discourage

the people who are directly involved in the day-to-dayoperations of the organizations that focus on preserving atown or county’s history.

The board members, staff, and volunteers who work insuch non-profits are usually motivated by a passion for thepast—a need to know that sometimes leads them into dark

attics, musty basements, and any other obscurelocation where they can uncover another piece oftheir region’s historic puzzle. And sometimes, thereward for that persistence makes the journeymore than worthwhile when another piece clicksinto place.

The Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Societyrecently had the pleasure of reaping just such anunexpected reward, when a copy of an unpublishednovel titled A Trip to Mars was discovered in itsholdings. The book was written in 1876 byVineland’s founder, Charles K. Landis, aPhiladelphia attorney who also developed thetowns of Hammonton and Sea Isle City.

Following the discovery, the Society contactedDr. Thomas Kinsella at Stockton University’s SouthJersey Culture & History Center, who offered tohave the book printed through the university’s

publish-on-demand program. In recent years, the Center hasreproduced other significant regional books, including Seasonsby naturalist Dallas Lore Sharp and Carnesworthe’s AtlanticCity: Its Early & Modern History.

The Landis novel, which should be released in May, wastypeset by William Albertson, a graduate student at Stocktonwho is pursuing a master’s degree in American studies.Kinsella has also arranged to have the Graphics Department atStockton design the cover art, based on a 19th century sciencefiction illustration.


Society volunteers Laurie Milana (left) and VirginiaTamuts examine the handwritten manuscript of A Trip toMars, an early science fiction novel written by Vinelandfounder Charles K. Landis. The manuscript and severalcopies were donated by the Landis family in 1894 to theVineland Historical and Antiquarian Society.

The novel was discovered in late 2014, while the Societywas organizing Mr. Landis’ personal papers that had been leftto the organization by his estate. Written about a decade afterJules Verne wrote From the Earth to the Moon, the Landis novelpreceded H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds by twenty-two years andThe First Men in the Moon by about twenty-five years. It wasalso composed before Edgar Rice Burroughs released hisfictional series in 1912 about Barsoom, which was his name forMars.

Mr. Landis was apparently an intelligent man,who was well-read and well-traveled. He not only keptpersonal journals but was interested in a wide range ofsubjects, including archaeology, philosophy, and thearts, and wrote about everything from farming toMexican history.

He became interested in the advances intechnology that occurred in the 19th century, whichprompted many people to consider the possibility oflife on other planets. Even though air travel was still inits infancy, astronomers at that time developed thetechnique of capturing thousands of telescopic imagesof stars and galaxies on glass photographic plates.

We have no doubt that Mr. Landis was influenced,just like the other authors of his day, by the scientifictheories of the day that believed space travel waspossible.

Sadly, other personal factors may have alsoinfluenced Mr. Landis to try his hand at writing science

fiction. Following the death of his oldest son, Henry, at lessthan a year old, he was later charged with the murder ofnewspaper editor Uri Carruth, who had unmercifully harassedthe Landis family in print.

Although Mr. Landis was later found not guilty by virtue oftemporary insanity, his world further crumbled when he andhis wife, Clara Meade Landis, divorced. Undoubtedly, theopportunity to escape into his own world by relating a sciencefiction tale, was too good an opportunity to miss.


A close-up of the hand-written manuscript's firstpage. Charles K. Landis was a prolific writer, whokept many personal journals and also wrote abouteverything from farming to Mexican history. To date,his science fiction novel is the only full-length storythat has been uncovered. The book is beingpublished by Stockton University's South JerseyCulture & History Center.

“We are just delighted that Stockton was able to make thisdream come true for us,” Martinelli said. “We feel that the bookwill appeal to both students of history and fans of classicscience fiction.”

The novel follows a lone sojourner who utilizes a form ofinterstellar travel perfected by the Rosicrucian Order, amystical society that is still in existence today, which believesin unleashing the potential of the human mind. Readers whoare familiar with Vineland’s early history will recognize somefeatures of the town in Mr. Landis’ description of life on Mars.

The book is not the first publication to be released by theSociety. In 2011, the organization published a photo historytitled Vineland through Arcadia Press, while last year, itreleased a postcard history of the town, also titled Vinelandthrough the same publisher.

A Trip to Mars will be available for sale through the Society,from the South Jersey Culture & History Center, and on-line.For further information, call the Society at 856–691–1111 or e-mail [email protected].


patricia a. martinelli the vineland historical and...

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