Vanderbilt Cup Races

Frank, your attention to detail is superb. I see what you’re saying about that bridge sign on the cap. That would be cool if this were the spot of that sign (would be really cool if that sign were still there!) but I don’t think so. Again on the old pics that space from the top of the abutment to the crease is MUCH larger then what is on that wall in the video. I can’t get beyond that. I wish we had more old pics of that space showing the walls in more detail. I’m sure there was a 45 degree slope the end of the wall.

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

Upon further review, based on the NJ license plate, Alice Ramsey is probably standing in front of her own Maxwell Roadster that was purchased for her by her husband. The car in the left background is probably the Maxwell she drove during her cross-country trip. Looks like her three passengers are arguing over who is “claiming shotgun”.

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

I’m open to the wall theory, Dave. Those walls look fairly long ( total of 4 walls). Maybe what’s exposed is the south walls? If this is the case, then the abutments would’ve been demolished and then a whole lot of ground leveling was done. Can’t tell from the older photos if the walls angle downwards at their ends.

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

Hi Howard,

It’s 22 year old Alice Huyler Ramsey with her 1909 Maxwell DA. She was the first woman to drive across the US in 1909 and be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2000.

A quote from wikipedia: “In September 1908 she drove one of the three Maxwells which were entered in that year’s American Automobile Association’s (AAA) Montauk Point endurance race, being one of only two women to participate.”

From americanautohistory.com:
“The story of the Maxwell car—which 20 years after its inception became the sensational Chrysler—is one of determination, constant endeavor and well-earned success.”

There’s a photo of the Maxwell garage during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup races on Long Island, New York.
From https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora:182257:
“View of Maxwell garage during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup races on Long Island, New York. Painted on side of front-gabled wooden-frame building: “The Maxwell, the car for all the family, perfectly simple, simply perfect.” Handwritten on back: “Elimination. Races and racing—Vanderbilt Cup races, 1906.”

http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=129382
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Huyler_Ramsey
http://www.americanautohistory.com/Marques/Marque730.htm
https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora:182257

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

It’s Alice Ramsey with her 1909 Maxwell four-cylinder, 30hp Model DA, during her historic cross country drive, the first accomplished by a female driver. The Maxwell-Briscoe Company provided her with the car in an all-expense paid trip, based on her prowess in a 242-mile endurance run from Brooklyn to Montauk in what I believe was the “Land’s End to Land’s End” Economy Run of 1908, sponsored by the Long Island Automobile Club, held on February 25th. (It was an annual, mid-winter event, so perhaps Ramsey piloted a car in the 1909 run).

Walter P. Chrysler took over the ailing Maxwell company, improved its last models and used it for the basis of what would become the Chrysler Corporation.

Maxwell was on a roll in those days, and in 1911 would sweep the Glidden Tour awards for team and individual trophies, as seen in this photo of the Maxwell team cars and Governor Hoke Smith’s Maxwell, who won the Glidden and Anderson Trophies, respectively. Taken in front of Maxwell’s showrooms in NYC, note the bas-relief circa-1909 Maxwell front clips over the building’s twin entrances; it is provided courtesy of the Automotive Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Enjoyed this one a lot Howard!

Tom Gibson

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

Thanks Dave.  Yes, I know the “vine” people.  I’ll let you and the others haggle over if they are abutments or a wall or whatever, but one thing is for sure, they are something!  Hope you and Sam are doing fine!

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

My guess the roadway is still buried under there, after some ~90 years, and it’ll take some ~10 feet of shoveling to reach the LIMP road surface. It’s that deep. That’s my best estimate.

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

Great presentation Howard, didn’t have a clue of all the history behind the scenes. There’s so much history involved that is quickly forgotten. Can’t find a better place to recount history. Please keep this up.

From New York Post, January 3, 1925: "Vanderbilt Recalls Days When 30 Miles An Hour Was Speed" Part I

Dave, hard to tell with these fuzzy photos but quite possibly could have been two creases (photo sent to Howard). In the old photo, the inner west abutment shows the first crease about ~10 inches from the top, then second crease (the bottom of the cap [crown]) about ~3 feet. The east abutment photo showed only smooth wall (fuzzy photo). In your video of the west abutment, the 10 inch crease can be seen early but then is interrupted with a lower crack produced over time, then returns 10 inches towards the south end of the west abutment. The location of the sturdy sign at the north end (very beginning of same video) is smooth without creases. This can be the most likely location of the sign. The video you and Sammy provided has opened more channels for solving the mystery behind the Mayan Ruins. Always love to see your adventures.

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

Amazing!! Thank you for sharing!! Can we do group trips?

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

That’s Alice Huyler Ramsey who, in 1909 at the age of 22, became the first woman to drive cross country from New York to California. The owner of the car, a 1909 4-cylinder 30HP Maxwell DA, was the manufacturer Maxwell-Briscoe Company who sponsored the trip as an advertising / promotional event. I believe the photo was taken on June 9, 1909, the day she started her historic journey. She was accompanied by her two sisters-in-law: Margaret Atwood and Nettie Powell and friend Hermine Jahns, although she was the only driver. Her link to Long Island is that prior to her coast-to-coast ride, she drove in a 200 mile endurance ride from her home in Hackensack, NJ to Montauk and back. The Chrysler link is that in 1926 Maxwell-Briscoe was absorbed into Walter Chrysler’s company.

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

Brian: Love you man but I completely disagree!!

Look at the old pictures. From the top of the abutment to the “crease” there has to be at least 3 feet before the crease. Now look at my pictures, there is only like 8-10” there. It’s not the same! And there are no other “creases” in the abutments pictures so it’s not like we can be confusing it with any other “creases”. I honestly don’t think these are the abutments.

Next—-if this were the abutment, you see in the old pictures those things are at least 12-14 feet tall. The remaining wall is only about 2 feet tall. It can’t be that 10-12 feet of that abutment are underground! No way!

And about a block away at the Jasper house the original road pavement is right there in his backyard at present elevation. From this “abutment” location to the Jasper backyard - if in fact the abutments were buried, there would ABSOLUTELY be a noticeable elevation drop from the abutments there to the original pavement in his backyard. I’m totally convinced now that these are NOT the abutments!!

A date stamp would settle everything, but looking at the old pics I don’t even see that there was a date stamp on the abutments.

Art—-great pics on your site. I recall you telling me you knew those people but I assumed you were talking about the ones who lived in the house that I went to. You know the other side with the vines on their wall.

And I will join you with the shovel when you want to go and dig! I also think the pavement is there, but it wouldn’t take long to find it. I think we would only have to go down 6-12” before we found it because I don’t believe those are the abutments. Cant be!!!

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

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