Vanderbilt Cup Races

May 26 2010
From the Drennan Collection: 1937 Roosevelt Raceway “Australia” Mystery Solved

Onelung: Question: "One of the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race photos in the April 9, 2010 post shows the Italian Alfa Romeo team in front of garages at Roosevelt Raceway. You can clearly see the beginning of the word ITALY above one of them. Can you explain why "Australia" appears on the door in the background of a 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Race photo that I found on the web?" (1 comments)

May 26 2010
Hold the Dates: 7th Annual Vanderbilt Centennial Celebration

The 7th Annual Vanderbilt Centennial Celebration will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2010 and Sunday, October 24, 2010. The event will be returning to the Cradle of Aviation Museum located on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard in Garden City. (0 comments)

May 24 2010
Alco Trucks and the First Transcontinental Delivery

In addition to automobiles, the American Locomotive Company manufactured over 1,000 Alco trucks from 1909 to 1913. A cab-over-the engine design was universal on the Alco trucks, ranging from 2 to 6 tons. Maximum speed ranged from 8 mph for the heaviest Alco to 17 mph for the 2-ton Alco. Customers included Singer Sewing Machine Company, Gimbels, and Henry Kroger. (2 comments)

May 22 2010
VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Rare 1908 PAL Race Painting Discovered

In response to posts on the official posters for the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race and the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, I received this email last week from Jennifer Madden, Director of Collections & Exhibitions for the Heritage Museums & Gardens of Sandwich, Massachusetts. (6 comments)

May 20 2010
Favorite Website: HistoricLongIsland.com

Yesterday, a new website HistoricLongIsland.com was officially launched. The website focuses on the historic museums and mansions of Long Island, including the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum. To celebrate the website launch and "Long Island History Month", a reception was held on Thursday afternoon at Oheka Castle in Huntington. (0 comments)

May 19 2010
Rare 1930s Photos of Two Motor Parkway Bridge Accidents

The Motor Parkway bridges in Nassau County were built from 1908 to 1911. The significant growth of traffic in the 1920s and 1930s was not anticipated in the design of the bridges and the openings for roads below were very narrow, typically only 22 feet wide. As a result, multiple car accidents occurred at the Motor Parkway bridges. Photos of two of these accidents in the 1930s were documented by the omnipresent photographer John Drennan and were discovered in the archives of Nassau County… (2 comments)

May 18 2010
Then & Now: Potential Nassau Historical Markers on the Motor Parkway Trail

Nassau County is currently developing a master plan for a continuous multi-use Motor Parkway Trail. Part of the plan calls for the placement of markers "at the location of historical remnants and will serve as a way to educate the public on the history of the corridor as the original Long Island Motor Parkway..". These are my recommendations for 21 historic markers: (2 comments)

May 17 2010
Aerials of the Motor Parkway in Hollis Hills, Queens

Steve, this 1941 aerial shows the Motor Parkway in Hollis Hills looking east. The photo is courtesy of the Fairchild Collection at the Benjamin and Gladys Thomas Air Photo Archives located in the UCLA Department of Geography. (0 comments)

May 15 2010
The “Black Beast” at the Nassau County Police Department’s Family Day

Police members and their families had a wonderful time at the Nassau County Police Department's Family Day yesterday in Mineola. The Alco "Black Beast" was just one of many activities featured at the event celebrating the 85th anniversary of the police department. Remember to click on the photo to enlarge it. (0 comments)

May 14 2010
William K. Vanderbilt Jr- “Un Millionaire Recordman” and Auto Race Driver

From 1902 to 1903, William K. Vanderbilt Jr. traveled throughout Europe. Here he found magnificent open roads to drive as fast as he dared and an education in the new sport of automobile racing. On May 2, 1902, he set the world’s kilometer record in a 40-horsepower Mercedes, averaging 110 kilometers per hour or 68.4 mph. He was hailed in the French magazine La Vie Au Grand Air as “Un Millionaire Recordman.” (0 comments)