Vanderbilt Cup Races

P.S.:  The car accident in the old photo at Mayan Ruin bridge was the result of its right-rear rim/tire coming off the vehicle causing it to turn over. Two occupants of the vehicle, a man and woman, were rushed to Flushing Hospital by a passerby. The extent of injuries were unknown as written on a report by Motor Parkway Police Officer Thomas Zinzi on Aug 19, 1928. Zinzi’s motorcycle is seen in both photos.
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/vanderbiltcupraces.com_exclusive_thomas_j._zinzi_the_first_motor_parkway_po

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

Great find again Sam and Dave. Always fun reading about your LIMP adventures.

And good point Dave. I’m guessing today’s protruding walls in GC are most likely just the bridge abutment caps (highest point) as seen in the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum photos provided by Al Velocci. Also I agree with Brian McCarthy of the converging slopes being the lowest point under the bridge, as well as the creased caps on top of the abutments. Being just the caps in GC, one would not have to dig deep here before revealing the top of the indented wall below. I don’t see caps on the lower outer walls in Al’s photos, and their heights are much lower than the abutments allowing them to be entirely buried first. I’m estimating there’s 9-10 feet of dirt (at its deepest) before reaching the parkway down below, by subtracting how much wall is exposed today from its actual height in the photo. A lot of dirt was once delivered here!

One other thing; in the old photo there’s a sturdy bridge sign placed on the cap, on the north side of the inner west abutment just before it slopes down 45 degrees. I believe you were facing south while filming the video (guessing it was afternoon by the shadows). At the very beginning of the video (0:00), the inner cap just left of the 45 degree slope shows a smooth surface with no crease compared to the rest of the wall, indicating where the sign was once positioned. It’s been years since I’ve visited here and will have to go back for more fun soon.

That’s my two cents. Anyone, please chime in at will. Corrections gladly accepted here.

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

Mystery Foto#1….Alice Huyler Ramsey was the driver and the car was provided by the Maxwel-Briscoe Motor company. Photo was taken in 1909 when she did her cross-country trip. The car was a Maxwell Model 30. Alice was the first woman to drive across the U.S. coast to coast. The Long Island link is that Alice was at a 1908 auto rally on L.I. when a Maxwell executive asked her if she would like to drive the company’s new 30 hp, four cylinder Maxwell across the country to prove that the car could make it and that a female motorist could do it. The Vanderbilt Cup connection is that Eddie Rickenbacker drove a Maxwell in the 1917 Cup race. The Maxwell company was reorganized into Chrysler Corp. by Walter Chrysler on June 6, 1925.  And as a post script some of us may remember that Jack Benny occasionally spoke of his Maxwell on his TV show way back when..

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey

i’m the first employee of the auto mesuem.its sad to see the museum in such bad shape.we will never see another museum like it ever again on long island,but there are many great cars out east in garages,and you see some at auto shows out here.I think only old farts enjoy the old buggies.there is a curved dash olds at the riverhead historical museum like was over the entrance to the museum.Swede Edwards a historian of the museum died last year,he also worked at the museum,and has many pictures of some of austie’s cars.he owned the radiator shop accross from the museum.my first car was a model t

                            have a great new year   Gene Martin

From Hamptons Road Trip: A 1928 Renault Barn Find & Site of the Long Island Automotive Museum Up for Sale

Art
  Good job on that find and hope you explore more to find what might be their

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

Alice Ramsey in 1909 in front of her Maxwell auto,
She drove this auto across the country, the first woman to do so.
She also participated in the Montauk Point endurance run.
The auto was provided by Carl Kelsey, sales manager for Maxwell.
Maxwell was later absorbed by Chrysler.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey

Just adding my gratitude to the list . Many thanks for this great site and its content…

From The Top Twenty-Five 2016 Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Great historic photos with the greats included. Glad to see they’re all preserved for future generations to view and learn from, a remarkable feat by itself that was well worth the effort. Please keep these coming!

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

Dave, glad you found it.  Both sides of the unbuilt bridge are shown on my website link below.  I’m fortunate to work with the daughter of the homeowner on whose property lies the east abutment and who has invited me to explore a few times.  I always tell him that one day he’s going to wake up and find me with a backhoe digging up the parkway between the abutments.  Its got to be there.

http://www.freewebs.com/limparkway/gardencityunbuiltbridge.htm

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

I’m back. Now I see the “lower walls” that are on each side of both abutments, Dave. After watching your video clip, I’m convinced those lower walls are buried. On the older photos of the abutments, there’s a “crease” maybe 1 and 1/2 ft down from the top. And then on each side of the abutments, the concrete angles downwards. In the beginning of your video, I definitely see the “crease” and angled concrete. I don’t know if you measured the height of the exposed abutments, but guessing their 2 and 1/2 to 3 ft high? Knowing how high they are not terribly important.

I wonder if your next adventure is exploring the southside of the past Old Country Rd underpass. Probably need a shovel for that one. We’ll get the Oak Island Team over their!

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

Great coverage of this area, Dave and Sam!

The original grade of the LIMP north and south of this unfinished bridge is peculiar. There’s definitely an uprise due north, and also an uprise due south. There had to be quite a low point in the road at this location. I guess this would’ve provided ample clearance for a finished bridge.

Comparing the original and your current photos, it’s clear to me that the flat walls and slopes are quite evident on the east and west sides.

After the LIMP was abandoned, this slope had to be buried/leveled for the future housing. I remember Jaspers LIMP section when inspecting the steel towers, etc. Nice and level, like a backyard patio. When I would walk/patrol thru these backyards, you can tell where the LIMP was buried. Either the ground level would be a bit high or low, right up to Old Country Rd.

Always look forward to your travels and findings, Dave and Sam!

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

The car is the Carl Kelsey sponsored Maxwell which did the 1909 cross continent drive by this woman, Alice Huyler Ramsey, and three female companions.  The photo is taken some time after that event in 1909 as the snow is on the ground(though the car has a 1908 license plate, were they one and done or renewed every year?  That may blow a hole in the book caption I have).  The drive began from NY on June 9 and ended August 6, 1909 in San Francisco.  The Maxwell Junior automobile was purchased for her by her husband, future NJ Congressman John Rathbone Ramsey, because of her inability to control a horse.

The only Vanderbilt Cup race connection I can find with her is her having been seen off in New York by Joan Newton Cuneo, a more famous lady racer who’s driving coach/mechanic was Louis Disbrow who drove in the Vanderbilt Cup races. 

The Maxwell automobile was manufactured in Tarrytown NY and somehow morphed into Chrysler….so that’s not a LI connection….ah….here tis…..“Maxwell entered racers in the 1906 American Elimination Trial, and the 1908, 1909, 1910 Sweepstakes associated with the Vanderbilt Cup Races. No Maxwells participated in the Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910.”-from the Vanderbilt Cup Races site. 

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey

“What an incredible history!!!  Thank you so very much for sharing these beautiful photo’s with information for all to enjoy.  I moved to Pawling when I was around two yrs. old (1946) from Montrose. PA.  My Dad worked for Pawling Rubber Co. , Glen Arden Farm and Sheffield Farms.  I remember vaguely attending picnic hosted by Lowell Thomas and Raymond Thornberg (married to Lowell Thomas’ sister Pherbia).  Wish I had photo’s to share from this lovely time.”  Sharon Boo

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

This was a very interesting find. Amazing that this is still here.

Maybe we can start a little discussion here: looking at the old photos, it is clear that you have the bridge abutments, but then north and south of the abutments you have a small wall. I’m wondering now if the remaining remnants shown in my pictures are of this small wall, and not the bridge abutments???

If it were the abutment it would be the upper portion of the abutment which means, why did they “bury” the lower portion of the abutment? And where did all of that fill come from and why?

And if it was filled, how is it that just south of this location at Arthur Jasper’s house, the original LIMP pavement is still visible - at the same elevation as the regular ground?

I’m thinking my pictures might be of the wall on either side of the former abutments. Let the discussion begin!

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

I have friends that live on Russel Rd. they have the Motor Parkway ROW in the back of their yard.

From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City

What a cool day-trip. Nothing lasts forever, and most are likely aware of, “This amazing 5-minute film documents the opening of the museum on August 27, 1948…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo6jh1T6nBo

Tom Gibson

From Hamptons Road Trip: A 1928 Renault Barn Find & Site of the Long Island Automotive Museum Up for Sale

Andy Hartwell… I know this blog is 6+ yrs old, but visit the “suffolkcountyny.gov” website ( imaps ). Motor Parkway E/O Old Nichols Rd specifically. I measured between property lines on either side of the parkway at various points, and 100 ft is the average distance ( which just happens to be the original width of the entire LIMP ROW ). Pretty much every house on either side of the parkway has anywhere between 30 to 40 ft extra front yardage in this area because the original LIMP ROW remained established. The imaps go back as early as 1947 and up to 2013. The parkway width appears original in 1947, and widened of course in 2013. In this area, I think the parkway wasn’t diverted from it’s original path.

From Then & Now: The Ronkonkoma Lodge

From Pamela Hirschhorn:

Happy New Year Howard,

Thank you for such an informative and fun newsletter ( my, am I showing my age! ).
I had the pleasure of coming of age on Long Island, enjoyed the 75th anniversary of the Vanderbilt Cup, had the pleasure of meeting Austie, and learning about brass from Les Cutting.

I am now living in Harrisburg, PA, right in between the hollowed grounds of Hershey and the very popular Carlisle. I have been hosting an online calendar of events, http://www.northeastwheelsevents.com for 6 years. The calendar encourages enthusiasts to explore more of their hobby through museums and events outside their normal interests. This is why we need people like you to reach out to new enthusiasts by posting your events, events which feature brass and pre-war history, and historic lectures. These listings are free.  In season, an average of 2,000 active enthusiasts visit the calendar. We need to get more of these people to look beyond their ‘57’s, muscle and tuners. As I am sure you know, look at the attention you get when you display your fine collection at different events.

Time is running out the pass our passions onto the next generation. Every post is important. List and share your 2017 events now so people can plan to attend.  Invite your friends to help pass the torch and list their events. Let’s get the next generation involved before all of our cars end up as specimens in a museum.

Thank you for your help in keeping our history alive,
Pam Hirschhorn
site manager

Go to http://www.northeastwheelsevents.com/events and click ” add “
Be sure to upload a photo and post your links.

From The Top Twenty-Five 2016 Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Howard,
This is a little late, but nevertheless sincere congratulations on your award.  Sheila and I wish you and your family a safe, healthy and happy New Year.
Rog

From The Roslyn Times: Local historian wins award

Wow, what a treat!!!!  I loved the last race of Joe Tracy and Old 16 not to mention the fantastic piano music.  Many thanks to Wally McCarthy and Howard Kroplick.
Rog

From Helck Family Collection: "The Most Thrilling Race I Have Ever Seen" by Barrett H. Clark, Jr.