Vanderbilt Cup Races

Before the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Nassau County farmers protested the use of public roads for the races. It was only two days before the race that their legal suit was dismissed. The farmers soon found a way to profit from the races by selling parking spaces on their properties. Parking spaces were sold for $5 to $25, more than enough to make up for the delay in bringing their produce to the city markets.

The holder of this 1910 pass was allowed to park a "touring car" on the Pratt Farm, located on Old Country Road and School Street in Westbury. This piece of "Vanderbilia", courtesy of the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, is valued at $250-$500 today. Photo courtesy of Gary Hammond.