Mystery Foto #18 Solved: Motor Parkway officials at the Jerusalem Road field office circa May 1908
Garden City Archives challenged you to solve this weekend's Mystery Foto.
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
Identify:
- The location of the Mystery Foto and the orientation of the photographer
Looking north on Jerusalem Road (now Stewart Avenue in Bethpage).
- The buildings in the background
The Jerusalem Road field office and workers' shanty for the Motor Parkway.
- The approximate date of the Mystery Foto
April-May 1908- Prior to the ground-breaking ceremony on the nearby Barnes Tract on June 6, 1908.
- What were the officials scouting?
Either they were scouting the site for the ground-breaking ceremony or progress for the Jerusalem Road Motor Parkway Bridge.
Comments (6)
Congrats to Greg O., Brian McCarthy, John Cunningham, Frank Femenias, Steve Lucas, and Dick Gorman for solving the Mystery Foto.
Kudos to Brian McCarthy and Frank Femenias for submitting jpeg support.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Comments
-The location of the Mystery Foto and the orientation of the photographer
Jerusalem Road.
-The buildings in the background
Chief Engineer Brown’s temporary headquarters.
-The approximate date of the Mystery Foto
May 1908
-What were the officials scouting?
Recognizing A.R. Pardington and Jefferson De Mont Thompson, I recall they were scouting a location for the groundbreaking ceremony.
I’m linking this foto to one of the photos from the Clinton Robertson Album. The Field Office & Workers Shanty viewed north, west side of Jerusalem Rd Central Park. The Field Office sign isn’t mounted yet, but seen in Clintons photo. They must’ve been scouring the construction of the LIMP in early 1908.
The field office at the groundbreaking site in bethpage. Looking north on stewart ave. approx 1908. surveying the site of the jerusalem ave bridge.
https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/surveyor_clinton_robertson_photo_albumthe_motor_parkway_engineering_field_o
Looks like the Motor Parkway field office at the Barnes’ Tract in Bethpage (Central Park), also the location of the Ground Breaking Ceremony site of June 6, 1908. Photo is looking north on old Stewart Ave (Jerusalem Rd). Admiring all the wide-open spaces of early Long Island. The officials are walking towards the future ceremony site behind the photographer. Motor Pkwy will be built just behind the photographer as well. Photo taken about May 1908.
Below: 2020 image 113 years later.
This photo was taken looking north on Jerusalem Road (now Stewart Ave.) slightly north of the Central Branch of the LIRR in Central Park (now Bethpage). The buildings were the temporary field office / engineers office for the construction of the LIMP. The photo was probably taken around May, 1908 since the officials (including A. R. Pardington) were scouting for a good location to hold the LIMP ground-breaking ceremony on June 6, 1908.
Mystery Foto #18… The photo location is at Jerusalem Road (now Stewart Avenue in Bethpage) looking south. The buildings shown here are temporary headquarters of Motor Parkway Chief Engineer Brown and the Field Engineer’s Office. Approximate date is May 1908. Officials are scouting location for Motor Parkway ground breaking ceremony which would happen on June 6, 1908.