Vanderbilt Cup Races

That’s an 1891 map / brochure created by the LIRR to promote real estate investment throughout Long Island. Apparently, the only ferry service was between Oyster Bay and Wilson’s Point, CT. There was no Port Jefferson Ferry or Orient Point Ferry. Also, Nassau County had not been established and the LIRR had not yet reached Montauk, terminating at Sag Harbor on the South Shore Branch.

I’m glad that Steve Lucas new the date because I only knew that it must have been before January 1, 1989, when the City of Greater New York became the five boroughs that we know today. The fact is that Queens County, as shown in the map, included the towns of Oyster Bay, North Hempstead, and Hempstead (which became Nassau County in 1899), as well as Flushing, Jamaica, Newtown, and Long Island City (which was a city, just as Glen Cove and Long Beach are the only two cities in Nassau County today). Each town in Queens County voted (at least those who were permitted to vote) in 1897 as to whether it would join the new City of Greater New York; Oyster Bay, North Hempstead, and Hempstead opted out. The voters of the City of Brooklyn, which had already annexed all of the towns in Kings County, barely voted to join, which is where I was born in ‘48 and had it in for the “City” while growing up in Fresh Meadows, Flushing. Indeed, even though I’m now living in AZ, in the middle of nowhere and only go back to LI every other month to visit, I vehemently object and take offense to the derogatory term “Outer Boroughs.” Oh? The “Outer Borough” of Queens where JFK and LaG are located? Where two World’s Fairs were held? Where the Mets had its home after moving from the Polo Grounds in ‘64 to Shea, never again to return to the “City”? The “Outer Borough” of the Bronx, where the Bronx Zoo and NY Botantical Garden are located? Or the “Outer Boroughs” of Brooklyn and Staten Island, home to the Verrazanoa, at one time the longest suspension bridge in the world? Home to the Bklyn Academy of Music, Prospect Park, the world renowned Brooklyn Museum, and much more? As far as I’m concerned, the expression “Outer Boroughs” is a slur that should not be spoken.

On the fourth close up in the upper left (west) corner it’s dated 1884.  I knew it was pre-1898 because the Port Washington branch isn’t there (the trestle over the head of Manhasset Bay hadn’t been constructed.)

I was born in Parsons Hospital, Flushing and grew up in Bayside. The Town of Flushing has a remarkable history. I highly recommend Vincent F. Seyfried’s books in the Queens Community Series. Physical copies are difficult to come by, but many are digitized by the Queens Library Archives. https://vital.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/services/Download/aql:16183/SOURCE1?view=true
Seyfried was also the author of a seven-volume series about the history of the Long Island Rail Road. My great-grandfather, George J. Easton, was an Engineman for the LIRR from 1893 to 1939 and lived in Whitestone Landing (Landing, because it had a ferry to the Bronx). He “drove” (or operated, better yet) the last electric multiple unit train in service on the Whitestone Branch in 1932, which was reported in the local newspapers. My family inherited photographs of him and his steam engine, upon which he began as “fireman,” learning all aspects of engine operation, for the first several years of his service. I am incredible proud of that history. He was born in Corona, moved with his family in 1890 to “Bay Side” in the Town of Flushing, and began his family, which included my maternal grandmother, in Whitestone. Thanks, Howard, for posting this incredible map!

Just adding some info about the Clubhouse Station along the LIRR in Great River. It was a privately built station, utilized by the Southside Sportmans Club. Just east of today’s Great River Station. Closed in 1897, Great River Station was built soon after. Rebuilt in 1943, then 2001.

More LIRR info: Even at this time period, the service for the Central RR ended at Creedmore. Sure the tracks were intact continuing West, then North towards Flushing; just out of service.

Then and now, the railroad ends at Port Jefferson. But for a time period, this branch extended east to Wading River.

Noticed that today’s Montauk Line terminated then at Sag Harbor. LIRR runs east to Montauk after year 1900. Tracks and service to Sag Harbor is no more. I never explored this area, sure there’s remnants of ROW and tracks.

1884 LIRR promotion
No Nassau County, this map predates 1898.
No train service to Montauk Pt.
Long Beach train service to Pt Lookout. Interesting no track remnants exists but a NIKE missle site is still in place.
Manhattan has a street grid system.
Proposed RR to Norwalk, CT through Long Island Sound never happened, neither did Robert Moses’ Expwy bridge/tunnel.