Vanderbilt Cup Races

A guess.  Before moving to Boca in ‘04, we lived in the “Gates” in Woodbury, the entrance to which is about 1/8 of a mile East of the intersection between Jericho Tpke and Woodbury Rd.  The SE little hill at the corner looks like the hill where the old Whitman school building is still extant near the top, with today’s modern school behind it. I think Woodbury Rd (whatever it was called before) existed even during colonial times.

Ah, you can’t fool ME on THIS awesome photo of the Woodbury Turn from the 1908 race!

Ah, you can’t fool ME on THIS awesome photo of the Woodbury Turn from the 1908 race!  Taken from the Woodbury Methodist Church entrance on Jericho Turnpike, facing southeast.

The photographer is looking east (or maybe slightly south-east) on Jericho Turnpike at the famous Woodbury turn intersection with Woodbury Road. The photo was taken from the second floor window of the steeple of the local Methodist Church (built in 1852; now the Historical Chapel wedding venue). The date is October 24, 1908 during that year’s Vanderbilt Cup Race with the eventual winner, George Robertson driving the “Old 16” Locomobile with Glen Etheridge as the mechanician.

Woodbury turn, Woodbury Road and Jericho Turnpike
Photographer was on the steeple of a nearby church
October 24, 1908
Locomobile, George Robertson, Glenn Etheridge

Amazing high resolution photo! Looks like the winning ‘Old 16’ during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race with George Robertson at the wheel and mechanician Glenn Ethridge at his side. Appears a 90 degree left turn was just executed but photos can be deceiving. There’s 3 possibilities on the counterclockwise course. I’ll guess it’s Woodbury, the left turn from Woodbury Rd onto Jericho Tpke heading west. If true, the photo is facing Southeast. Dangerous curve because the intersection today is still approximately 70 degrees, 117 years later. Vantage point likely from the top of a 2nd story house or business. The roadway seems wide enough for Jericho Tpke ca. 1908. The 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race was held on October 24, 1908

The church in 2021. The second floor window is now sealed with stained glass. The church still sits 250 feet west of the Woodbury Rd intersection on Jericho Tpke

At least they tried to put an embankment to help the racers a little with that sharp left turn.  I’d still rather watch from the inside part of that intersection though, thank you very much.

In 1905-1907, my grandmother Nellie Parsons LaTourette lived in Westbury with her Parsons family at ages 10-12. My Grandmother told me it was on a farm in Old Westbury, (the Stephen’s Farm) on or near Red Ground (Rd.), just north of and facing E. Jericho Pike/Mineola Blvd. (and Maunch Chuck?) and just north of present day LIE, near or on Wheadley Rd and Old Westbury Rd, near Hairpin curve on the race course of the Vanderbilt Racing Car Cup races.  She also shared stories of her family hosting one of the French racing teams in 1906 and their using her barn for their cars and her mom cooking breakfast for them during the races.

Thomas-
If you have any stories, photos or souvenirs from you grandmother, we’d love to hear or see them.

Thanks Thomas - here are two maps from 1906 and 1914 showing some buildings on property of an R.E. Stephens (1906) and Mrs. R.L. Stephens (1914) just north of Jericho Turnpike.  Might this be the farm in which your grandmother lived?  As Greg noted, any additional info. you have would be great.