Greg O’s Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge
VanderbiltCupRaces.com Mystery Foto regular Greg O. (Oreiro) has discovered a new treasure trove of Long Island Motor Parkway photos from Bill Cruickshank, the grandson of toll collector Otto McCamish.
Below is the story behind Greg's discovery and the first post of Greg's guest series based on interviews with Bill Cruickshank.
Special thanks to Bill Cruickshank for sharing his family's photos and stories!
Be Safe, Stay Healthy, Save Lives,
Howard Kroplick
Greg O.
While glancing at Long Island History pages on Facebook, I had a serendipitous encounter with Bill Cruickshank in the comments section that featured a Motor Parkway photo.
Bill's grandfather was Otto McCamish, a toll keeper with his wife Parnelle at the Meadow Brook Lodge from the 1920s until the Parkway's closing in 1938. After the Motor Parkway closed, Bill's grandfather Otto purchased the lodge and the property, planted his flag and raised his family there. He owned the building until it was sold and demolished in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Otto moved to Florida to retire around 1960 and lived there until he passed on September 24, 1978. He is currently at rest at Calverton Nation Cemetery with full military honors. He is described by Bill as a warm and caring man always devoted to his family.
Following a long telephone conversation, Bill, a retired LILCO worker before moving to North Carolina in 2006, informed me that he had many photos and colorful stories of his family during their time in the Meadow Brook Lodge. He was kind and generous enough to share them with me and enthusiasts of the Motor Parkway. The wonderful photos and information will be a welcome addition to Motor Parkway lore. Bill's family photo collection may provide several new Parkway discoveries and fill in missing information about the Lodge and the McCamish family. In this series of posts, I will document his family, stories and photos with Bill's incredible new material, never before seen by Motor Parkway historians and the public until now.
First in the series: The McCamish Family and the Meadow Brook Lodge
On June 19, 1926, Otto McCamish and his wife, Pernelle, began their life at the lodge. Just prior to that, after returning from some time in the Army in France, Otto worked as a painter at Mitchel Field painting insignias on the military base's airplanes. In his next endeavor, Otto became a house painter. One particular job, in April 1926, was painting a farmhouse at the Deepdale Golf Club. Toll lodge keeper expert historian Al Velocci believes this to be his connection to eventually working for the Motor Parkway. Bill recalls his grandfather getting the toll keeper job through his friend Christian Ernst, the toll keeper at the Garden City Lodge, but Al Velocci corrected this as possibly being the other way around, stating that Ernst got his job after Otto. Bill's mother Doris, was born in 1921 with her brother Wallace born shortly after that.
Left to right: Wallace, Otto, Pernelle, and Bill's mother Doris in 1927. An avid fisherman, Otto would often ride his bike the 20-mile distance to Jones Beach, plant his fishing rod and relax. In one instance, he was approached and questioned. It was thought that he might be a German spy waiting for signals from German U-boats
Otto McCamish in an early photo manning the gates at the lodge. Otto, a kind, thoughtful person, once found a $20 bill at the gates that a motorist had dropped. Otto was able to track down the motorist and mail his $20 back to him. He was rewarded with a box of cigars. I'd hope for his sake, some genuine Cubans! As Bill puts it; "its hard to believe that this photo is about 100 years old."
Bill's mother Doris in front of a snowy lodge approximately in 1928-29. A year or two earlier in 1927, Bill recalled that his mother told him how she and the family witnessed Charles Lindbergh taking off on his historic flight crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Of course, they had front row seats with their unique vantage point.
Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis airplane barely made it over the telephone lines on the west side of Merrick Avenue. Note St. Brigid's Church in Westbury in the background..
The operational Meadow Brook Lodge in the early 1930s. Note the arrows before the gates and an automobile on the Parkway.
The McCamish family in 1936/1937: Left to right:, Wallace, Pernelle, Otto and Doris. You can practically hear the race cars from the 1936/37 Vanderbilt Cup Races in their backyard in this photo.
Bill McCamish: "During World War II, my mother and sister Carol moved in with my grandparents until my Dad came home as did my aunt and cousin, Wallace's wife and daughter. I imagine it must have been cozy. Both taken in front of house."
Bill's sister Carol with her mother Doris.
Another interesting story Bill told me was a time when his mother Doris was found roller skating by MPs accompanying a German POW at the nearby Mitchel Field runways. The POW told Doris that he had a young daughter her age at home. The POW was promptly reprimanded by the MPs and Doris was brought home.
Who knew there were POWs at Mitchel Field!
The family well dressed on their way out shortly after the parkway closed. Notable in the photo is the newly installed flag pole, signage removed from the lodge and decorative lattice in the rear of the porte cochere. Otto did a beautiful job of turning the once former lodge into a warm, loving home for the family as evidenced by this happy photo. Difficult to determine, but any guesses on the year and make of the car?
A view of the former lodge in its final incarnation as the McCamish home in 1957. Another incredible photo in Bill's collection since it has never been known what became of the lodge at that time. This dated photo shows that the lodge existed a few more years than previously thought.
Comments
Looks like a 1940 Packard
WOW!!! Fantastic collection of photos and information! The left arrow says “New York” and right arrow says “Ronkonkoma”. Check out Bill’s mother Doris’ 1929 snow sled. What a ride that must’ve been speeding down the graded entrance ramp! Looking forward to seeing more. Thanks Greg, and Bill Cruickshank for sharing these photos and history of your family and the lodge.
Lodge keeper Otto McCamish is tall and slim in the photos. Could this be Otto in the photo below?
Great find and connection, Greg! This must be Bill Cruikshank that I know of from LILCO. We’re different generation, I began working for the company in 1987. When I became part of the Electric Service Dept in early 1990’s, I believe Bill was a supervisor in the same department, different location. He’d remember I as “the mechanic” in Hicksville. What a neat surprising connection with the LIMP, Bill! Very glad You and Greg discovered each other!
Wow! My favorite lodge of all of them! How I wish it was still standing when I grew up within walking distance of the lodge at Mitchel Field in the ‘60’s.
BTW, there were two separate POW camps on the Base during WWII. Both were located in the southeastern portion of the property, immediately adjacent to the Meadow Brook Golf Club to the East and Hempstead Turnpike to the South.
POW’s were well treated and often assigned work details by the AAF, sometimes off the Base proper! A few of them eventually returned after the War and settled in the area.
As kids riding our bikes along Perimeter Road, the formally electrified, barbed-wire fence bordering the golf course was still there. Now you know why it had been electrified!
Great work, Greg! Makes you wonder what else is out there just waiting for us to find.
Otto and his family is listed in the 1940 census as living on Post Avenue. Otto (age 45) is listed as a painter and decorator and his daughter, Doris (Bill’s mom, age 18) is shown as Assistant Manager, Dry Cleaning. The value of the lodge is listed as $5,000. Take note of the entries after the McCamish listing - those for families living at the Meadow Brook Club.
Howard,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of Otto McCamish and family at the Meadow Brook Lodge from 1920. It truly adds to the history that all have provided to describe life events over 100 years ago.
Regards and stay healthy and safe to all!
I believe the Barracks to the East of Meadowbrook Parkway, south of Hempstead Tpke were German POW Barracks. They assisted in the Long Island Potato planting and harvest, and stories I’ve hear were they were polite and well behaved. Most were from North Africa campaign.
Howard,
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of Otto McCamish and family at the Meadow Brook Lodge from 1920. It truly adds to the history that all have provided to describe life events over 100 years ago.
Regards, stay healthy and safe to all!
An enlargement of Art’s 1940 Census page.
Thank you, Howard for sharing Greg’s discovery featuring Meadow Brook Lodge. In the mother and daughter picture, the photographer made sure to include the Blue Star Service Flag in the window because one of the two stars represented the little girl’s father serving his country during World War II. The Blue Star Service Flag was first designed during World War I by an Army Captain from Ohio whose two sons were on the front line; and in 1917, service members’ families were encouraged to display this ‘Badge of Honor’ in the front windows of their homes, with the saying, “Do as Col. (Theodore) Roosevelt does at Oyster Bay.” For those who lost sons or daughters in WWI, ‘The Gold Star Mothers’ service organization was formed in 1928. During WWII, ‘The Blue Star Mothers of America’ was organized in 1942 and chapters formed that same year in nine states including New York. Both service organizations for Gold and Blue Star Mothers continue today as does recognition of Gold Star and Blue Star wives. At Meadow Brook Lodge, all three generations – a Blue Star mother and her WWI veteran husband; and two Blue Star wives with their children—living under the same well-built roof, show the spirit of a tight-knit American family surviving tough times. Thank you, Howard for historical reminders of family courage as today’s family units learn of their great potential for strength.
Attached, is an image of a Service Flag circa 1944, like the one my grandmother put in her front window after D-Day. Courtesy of the Library of Congress at http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.01754/pageturner?ID=pm0026001&page=3
Postscript: 245 years ago today, at Lexington and Concord, MA, the ‘shot heard round the world’ began the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, now remembered as ‘Patriots’ Day,’ described by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.
Corey Victoria Geske;
Thank you so much for that back ground! There are more photos in up coming posts in relation to this.
Very neat that You and Bill have met this way, Greg! These images are priceless, so good of Bill to share this with us! He mentions of being a former LILCO employee, and Cruikshank is very familiar to me. I began with LILCO in 1987, and was part of the Electric Service Dept since early 1990’s, Hicksville yard. He may remember me as “The Mechanic/Linemans Helper”, my red hair stands me out too : )
I am a retired Emergency Svc.manI was in Hix I do remember but sadly can’t remember your name.At work I was known as George
Frank- I believe this to be a previous lodge keeper before Otto and Pernelle took the job in 1926. Bill agreed and does not think that is his Grandfather.
Corey - thank you for your information pertaining to Gold and Blue Service Flags. Having attended a ceremony in which these service mothers were honored, I very much appreciate your explanation and bringing this to light to the readership. Attached are pictures of Otto’s wife Pernelle and her son Wallace. From The Nassau Daily Review-Star (May 10 and Feb. 7, 1941).
Thanks Greg for this wonderful collection of photos. It certainly is a terrific story. The 1957 picture is especially interesting in that you can see the modifications they made to the home. The snowstorm photo also brings to question how well and quickly they cleared the snow from the parkway. That photo looks like it was quite a big snowstorm! I’m sure Howard and Al can answer that one.
Frank, The toll collector in the photo you put up is Sidney Jones, the first at the MBL. Note the lack of landscaping.
Greg, The McCamish family photo captioned 1936-1937 has Otto with a smirk rather than a smile. I think I know why. At he time of the photo his pay was $30.00 a MONTH until the Parkway closed. but all the toll collectors did live rent free in the lodges.
Approximate location of the LIMP Meadow Brook Lodge in 2020.
Michael C.
There’s some upcoming posts that will shed some light on that and maintenance of the parkway.
That’s okay, Bill. Your name is what remember- George Cruickshank. My brother Rob McCarthy ( I’m Brian ) remembers you too. And Rob was saying maybe you have a brother that worked for the company, too? Rob was a serviceman in Hewlett, then Hix. He eventually went into overhead lines, now he’s in Project Management ( Transmission/Substation). I’ve been addicted to Motor Pkwy stuff for 20+ yrs now : )
Michael Cain, Regarding snow removal on the Parkway. Early on the Parkway had it’s own maintenance and repair crew that did light snow removal. For heavier accumulations outside contractors were hired. In the mid-1930’s they were laid off and thereafter any necessary Parkway related maintenance and repairs was done by the male toll collectors on an as needed basis for which they were compensated .The snow removal photo with Otto McCamish is such an example. There was one major exception though. In late January 1936 there was a heavy snowfall in the area and Vanderbilt had Kienzle close down the entire Parkway until the end of February. I’m sure it was financial decision.
The car in the picture just when the lodge had closed is a 1936 or 1937, but can’t tell the make.