On Wednesday, July 12, the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society (VHAS) will sponsor a bus trip to New York City, leaving at 8 a.m. from the museum at 108 S. Seventh Street. The return trip will leave New York at about 7 p.m. and arrive back in Vineland around 10 p.m.
The fundraising event has been scheduled to visit the New York Public Library, where Vineland’s favorite naturalist, Mary Treat, has been included in an exhibit on Charles Darwin.
“However, visiting the exhibit is not required,” said Valerie Neuber, president of the Society’s board of trustees. “While we’re sure a lot of people will want to see it, we know that some will just be glad to visit the city, see a show or go shopping.”
The Society loaned a number of items owned by Treat to the Darwin exhibit, open to the public through early August. Between 1871 and 1876, Treat and Darwin exchanged 15 letters as they shared theories about the development of plants and insect life. She discovered different species of both that were named in her honor and wrote five books about her findings.
In 2016, nationally known author Barbara Kingsolver visited VHAS to research Treat’s life for her novel, Unsheltered, which was published two years later. Her work prompted local author Deborah Ein to write about the real-life Treat in her book, Mary Treat: A Biography, published late last year.
Cost of the trip is $75 per person. To register online, visit forms.gle/2krYguFhzCoNkp2p7. Payment is also accepted by check or through Paypal. Seating is limited, so make your reservations soon.
