Sep 22 2026

Mystery Friday Foto #38 Solved: The Spinney Hill Turn from the 1906 Course

Mystery Friday Foto #38 Solved: The Spinney Hill Turn from the 1906 Course

Did you identify the Spinney Hill turn on the 1906 course?

Identify;

  • Where was this location that was a mystery for many years?

For years, Motor Parkway historians had debated the location of these grandstands from the #3 postcard on the Motor Parkway postcard series, produced by the Brooklyn Eagle as souvenirs for the 1906 Mineola Fair. The postcards featured photos of the course for the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race. Many though the grandstands were further west on the course. In 2023, after a few new clues came to my attention, I took another stab at figuring out the grandstand whereabouts. In this post, I had surmised that the grandstands were Lakeville Road just after the turn off of North Hempstead Turnpike (Northern Blvd.)

  • Which race?

The grandstands were in place for the 1906 races.

  • Roads in the photo

The photographer is standing on North Hempstead Turnpike (Northern Blvd.) and looking south down Lakeville Road.

  • See Hint below with an additional 'Kudos' question

John Dennelly's The Maple Lodge was not only the home to purchase your grandstand seats, but he also profited by being the headquarters for Joe Tracy's Locomobile team.

Congrats to Steve Lucas for identifying all the mystery photo questions.

Greg O. 

Photo Hint

Photo Hint - image

Here's a closer look at the stands with spectators.

The sign on the front of the grandstands reads;  'Reserved seats Apply at J. Dennelly's' with a hand pointing down the road saying '4th house'.

Aside from being a location to buy reserved tickets for the grandstands, J. Dennelly's also served as another purpose. What was that purpose?

Then & Now: Maple Cottage- The Locomobile Headquarters for the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Races



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