Vanderbilt Cup Races

For several generations of children on Long Island, a fond memory was riding Nunley's Carousel on Sunrise Highway in Baldwin. Closed in 1995, Nunley's Carousel was restored and relocated to the Cradle of Aviation in East Garden City in 2009. While attending a Thursday cruise night at the museum, Bruce Latten checked out the carousel and noticed a link to the Vanderbilt Cup Races.Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Two of the paintings on the carousel's rounding boards depicts scenes from the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race! Were they original to the 1912 carousel or part of the recent restoration?

The answer is provided in this June 2009 article published in Carousel News & Trader.

It was determined early on that instead of replicating the old scenery, new scenery would be used that highlights the history and points of interest in Nassau County. The artwork on the rounding boards and scenery panels were in very poor condition and in many cases beyond restoration. So now the rounding boards have paintings like Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis flight, Belmont Park racetrack and Teddy Roosevelt’s home, Sagamore Hill to name a few.

In this carousel's painting, the Locomobile "Old 16" is depicted on Elliston Road in Westbury.

In this painting, "Old 16" wins the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race in front of the Hempstead Plains press box/officials stand.

For more information on Nunley's Carousel:

-Cradle of Aviation's History of the Carousel

-Photos from the National Carousel Association

-1982 film of Nunley's Carousel in Baldwin

Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Index: Old 16 Locomobile

Index: 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race