Vanderbilt Cup Races

Rocky Road / Springfield Blvd entrance sign?

Bruce, I think that is an excellent guess.

Clearly, it was near a Motor Parkway entrance like Springfield Boulevard. The copy “to all points on Long Island” also implies the sign was in Queens.

There were only three entrances to the Motor Parkway in Queens; Nassau Boulevard, 73rd Avenue and Springfield Boulevard.

Howard,  The missing words on the sign probably are “Car and”.

Howard,  I could not locate either a Harriet Teitsen nor Seitsen, however there was a Harriet Feitsen.  The 1925 NYS Census lists her as living on Jasmine St., Flushing, and the 1930 U.S. Census lists Harriet R. Feitsen as living on Hyacinth St, Flushing with her Dad, Mom, and sister - she was 14 years old at the time.  Maybe she is in one of the photos.

Howard, isn’t it true that the 73rd Avenue entrance was not really an official entrance? Although we know what the Nassau Boulevard sign looked like, there could have been more than one sign. But in the photo, it appears that there is a high concrete wall behind the sign, and this would not have been the case at Nassau Blvd. This would indicate that it is more likely Springfield Boulevard. Having said all that, Sam Berliner used to say that he thought there might have been an entrance near the North Hempstead Turnpike bridge—can you debunk that theory? If there was an entrance there, the sign could be near that bridge, which did have a high concrete wall.

Howard, The ladies are standing in front of the southeast embankment wall of the Rocky Hill Rd./Springfield Blvd. entrance to the Parkway. Al

Hi Mitch,

You are correct, the 73rd entrance was an unofficial entry to the Motor Parkway and there was no entrance at North Hempstead Turnpike Motor Parkway bridge:

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/the_motor_parkway_bridges_1_north_hempstead_turnpike_parkway_bridge_in_fres

The CSI (Cup Scene Investigation) Team has published their comprehensive report on the location of the two women in the photo:
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/csi_report_two_women_and_a_motor_parkway_sign

Howard, Regarding the confusion of the 73 Ave. entrance. (Actually the name of the roadway at the time was Black Stump Rd.) Yes, it was an official entrance but only a temporary one.  In 1926 the City of New York asked the Parkway to delay the opening of the Nassau Blvd. entrance as construction of Nassau Blvd. was not fullly completed in that area. The Parkway in 1926 published a brochure that informed motorists coming from the west that the Parkway entrance was on Black Stump Rd.(south of the Bridge.) In 1927 the Parkway reprinted the brochure announcing the entrance on Nassau Blvd. was now opened. Hope this clears up the confusion. Al Velocci

And it’s very possible the sign was double sided for viewing from both directions with the low wall.

Mr. Hammond’s research is correct. The woman on the left hand side of the picture was Harriet Feitsen and she lived with her family in Flushing. Her parents, Ann and Victor Feitsen, had a pharmacy (called Feitsen’s) on Parsons Boulevard in Flushing. She was my mother