Robin R. Gross had always heard family tales about a distant relative with a strange life story. But when she first started digging deeper, she had no idea where her research would take her.
The stories she had heard were that her relative’s name was Florence Street, who, after marrying a mysterious man in the late 1920s, disappeared for 17 years and had no contact with her family during that time.
What Gross uncovered was that the mystery man would go on to become known to the world as George Daynor, the creator of the House of Depression, a legendary, early example of an Americana roadside attraction, located in Vineland.
Last month, during an open house event for the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society, Gross was on hand to give a talk about her family, her research and the book that came from it – “I Shook My Family Tree… and George Daynor Fell Out: Uncovering a Con Man After Nearly 100 Years.”
Gross discussed some of the research that led to her discovery and went on to say that Florence likely played a large part in the creation of the attraction, which made international news.
For those unfamiliar, the Palace of Depression was billed as a testament to the human spirit’s ability to surmount overwhelming obstacles, as the property was built on the site of a literal junkyard from scraps found onsite during the early days of the Great Depression.
Daynor seized on the notoriety the property received for its novelty, and began charging admission to see the house as a way to support himself in those difficult times.
The original palace has been demolished, but there have been ongoing efforts to recreate it on the site.
Gross’ book asserts that Daynor wasn’t just a colorful opportunist, but an abusive conman, and that her relative bore the brunt of his worst qualities.
Early newspaper accounts mentioned Florence, Gross said, and indicated that she was instrumental in the creation of the unique home, if not an equal partner. But soon after, coinciding with the time when she was cut off from her family, further news accounts about the palace no longer mentioned her.
We don’t want to give too much of the book away, should you want to check it out for yourself, but years later Florence did manage to escape her situation and was able to tell of what happened to her during those missing years.
If you’re interested in getting a copy of the book, it can be found for sale on Amazon and on www.lulu.com. You can also follow Gross on Facebook by searching for Robin R. Gross – Author.
Leave a Reply