Vanderbilt Cup Races

From Tim G:

Thanks for posting the block about the Wright Flying Field photo. I see it was posted more than a year ago, but I just stumbled across it while searching for information about the field. I’m working on an article about someone who learned to fly there, but I’ve only had a vague sense of where the school was located and what it looked like. It’s interesting that this photo has been in my own backyard all along (Fairborn is close to Miamisburg). I’m now trying to contact Allan Routt through the Fairborn Historical Society.
Tim

From Mystery Foto #99: The Wright Flying Field in Mineola Circa 1916/1917

Great find, Gary.

From The 1944 Proposal for "A Nassau County Park at Salisbury" in East Meadow

What an unexpected surprise meet! It MUST be a small world after all. Richard, what were your measurement findings.

From Searching for the Site of the Long Island Aviation Country Club & the Grandstands Updated 5/3/16

Howard,
“In 1822 land was donated next to the church for a cemetery, which remained there until the 1950s, when the land was sold. Those buried there were reinterred in the Cemetery of the Evergreens on the Queens/Brooklyn border, where one stone marks the church’s dead.”

Scroll down about 40%
https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/13000696.pdf

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

We all knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I always figured whoever supply’s the mystery photo already knows the answer. But it sounds like Howard and Al were figuring this out along with us.
______________________________
From Howard Kroplick

Brian, we were!

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Too much for me to comprehend!  But thanks Howard and Al for your detailed analysis.  Once I thought it was a church cemetery I went searching for churches and found one, but not the right one.  And by that time I was exhausted with this photo.
Amazing the sign is still there.  If you look closely, you’ll see a few parkway posts too. And then there’s a bridge I have for sale.  So what if April Fools Day was just a few days ago.  Thanks for the challenge guys.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Queens Blvd. at 54th Avenue.
The historic First Presbyterian Church of Newtown.
Sign is pointing left (southeast) towards the western terminus of
the LIMP at Peck Avenue and Horace Harding Blvd. (today’s LIE).
Year about 1925 ?
Auto makes unknown.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

BTW, this church was at the center of the Revolutionary War. Incredible story.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Good one Al. 2nd attempt: OK, I grew old trying to figure this out and still not sure. The Newtown First Presbyterian church hint helps.  I believe the mystery photo was always looking NW (NE for the church hint photo), so I’m assuming the church/cemetery once stood on Hoffman Blvd’s northside. That would also explain the signs direction. So going with that, we’re at the intersection of today’s Queens Blvd and Broadway/Grand Ave looking NW. The sign is directing to turn onto Broadway, then turn right onto Corona Ave, go over Strong’s Causeway bridge, follow to North Hemp Tpke to the Rocky Hill Lodge. Baffling is the fact that during the church’s relocation in 1924, it was moved only 125 ft south, to accommodate the mostly southward expansion of Hoffman Blvd (Queens Blvd). That’s not enough space to move it from the northside to the southside of the boulevard. Anticipating this week’s answers

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Along Nassau Blvd.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Spent too much time on this one without a conclusion!  Found one reference to a painter using Atlantic White Lead and Pure Linseed Oil in Elmhurst - Richard P. Luckner on Fourth Street (later changed to Ithaca Street).  Hint of a cemetery - could it be Cedar Grove or a local church cemetery?  In any case, sign might be pointing to Rocky Road entrance.  1928

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

That sign could be pointing south on Newtown Av (Pettit Av), then heading east on Bway, then left on Justice Av, or Queens Bl, and heading east towards the Rocky Hill Rd Lodge. It’s complicated back then, not easy

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Love the ol’ historic photos and the challenging mysteries they can bring. This one is truly a toughy, as my answer still persists with just one annoying conflict left, so hoping for the best here. Another amazement with this photo is that I was brought up just 1.5 miles from here in Woodside, and this photo is totally unrecognizable to me. 
With some searching, I have this house located as 12 Fourth Street (Ithaca Street), just southwest of the corner of Newtown Avenue (Pettit Avenue) in Elmhurst, as the ‘Atlantic White Lead & Linseed Oil’, belonging to painter and decorator, Richard P. Luckner.

Scroll down to check the ad on the right.
http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4/Newtown NY Register/Newtown NY Register 1915 Grayscale/Newtown NY Register 1915 Grayscale - 0402.pdf

If I’m correct so far, the year is 1915. This mystery LIMP sign will ultimately direct you to the preferred route (along with other LIMP signs) to the LIMP’s Rocky Hill Lodge western terminus and entrance at today’s Springfield Blvd (9.5 miles away). But a shorter, less desirable route was possible by taking Queens Blvd east (Hoffman Blvd), hanging a left at Plank Rd (63rd Rd), going through Strong Causeway (through the Valley of Ashes dump site (who’d want to travel that way)), and proceed through North Hemp Tpke (Booth Memorial Ave) to the Rocky Hill Lodge (9.1 miles). Times were tough back then. Looking forward to this week’s answers. Thanks Al

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Thanks Howard !
GREAT FIND ROZ !!!

From The 1913 Metropolitan Automobile Guide and the Long Island Motor Parkway

TRIANON?
My Google search revealed:  “itdoesn’t really have a meaning, it is an actual name, though in either French or Spanish, “Trianon” suggests a special place with pleasant surroundings, beauty and balance”.  Seems a suitable location after a strenuous motor trip and before returning to the City.

From The 1913 Metropolitan Automobile Guide and the Long Island Motor Parkway

Very good find. The map portraying Bethpage and Colonial Springs exhibit LIRR spurs extending to the LIMP northwards in 2 areas. I know spurs existed in Bethpage and Colonial Springs for the transportation of bricks. The spurs impacting the LIMP is what I’m not so sure of.

From The 1913 Metropolitan Automobile Guide and the Long Island Motor Parkway

OK, here goes:

Location of photo in Elmhurst, Queens. Explain my finding:  This building ( perhaps a hardware/paint store ) was located on the S/S of todays Queens Blvd. ( Hoffman Blvd in past ). I came to this assumption by accessing an edition of “The evening world” newspaper dated 7/20/1911 pg 4 via the nyshistoricnewspapers.org website. The notation at the bottom of pg 4 states NEW STORE at 2 Broadway, corner of Hoffman Blvd. Elmhurst NY opening this morning. Presently, a Hoffman Dr extends just south of Queens Blvd. There was (and still may be ) St Johns Hospital at this location. The hospital’s address came up as 90-02 Queens Blvd, but it may have closed and became housing.

What entrance is the Motor Pkwy sign directing to?  At the time, it would’ve been a short distance to Horace Harding Blvd. So, the sign was directing east to the LIMP entrance off Horace Harding Blvd.

Manufacturers, years of 2 automobiles?  My best guess for the auto on the left is a 1920ish Chevy, and the auto on the right is a 1920ish Dodge.

Approx. photo date: The entrance to the LIMP via Horace Harding Blvd was established in 1928. So, with the Motor Parkway sign existing; I’ll say 1930.

I’m looking forward to everyone’s responses. Doesn’t matter if I’m right or wrong. Keeping my brain working is a good thing.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Mostly guesses this week since I can’t really make any confirmations. I’ll make revision posts if I discover anything new, but for now I’m somewhat stumped.

Identify the exact location of the photo in Elmhurst, Queens. Provide a rationale.

According to your site,  “The Long Island Motor Parkway, Inc. placed directional signs along Nassau Boulevard (later renamed Horace Harding Parkway) to help motorists find the entrance to the Motor Parkway. [signs were} placed at the corner of Nassau Boulevard and Rodman Street (later renamed College Point Boulevard). The same sign was placed at the intersection of (Nassau) Boulevard and Kissena Boulevard”
So my guess would be that the sign might be at one of those locations. Although the two other photos I have seen of the sign are left facing and not right facing like the mystery photo sign.

What entrance is the Motor Parkway sign pointing to?

Nassau Boulevard toll booth

Identify the years and manufacturers of the automobiles

Quick guess on the car on he right would be a 1925 Chevrolet Model K. Unsure of the car on the left.

What is the approximate date of the photo?

The other Motor Parkway sign photos that I’ve seen are dated; Feb 17, 1931 I’ll guess this photo as around the same date or close.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

After spending more hours than I care to admit researching this one, it’s time for some guesses (educated or otherwise): based on the shadow of the sun, I think we’re looking southeast late in the afternoon. So what road heads in that direction with a left turn to the LIMP (in Elmhurst) and would be under construction in the time period indicated by the visable cars? I think it might be the intersection of Queens Blvd. and Horace Harding Blvd. If so, the sign is pointing to the western terminus of the LIMP in Fresh Meadows. Since the westward extension of Horace Harding Blvd. from Flushing to Queens Blvd. was completed in 1935, I’ll guess the date around 1934. As to the two cars, I think the one on the right might be a 1926 Chevrolet; no clue on the other.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Guessing, the booth as to why built and left unmanned was the discovery later of potential traffic buildup spilling back into HHB. Though intended as a toll collection device, as with the sign, it also served as a toll road emblem alerting lost travelers to avoid. Regardless, because it was left unmanned made the Rocky Hill Lodge, with its two ramps, a busy place for unintentional toll travelers. But those travelers did get to enjoy a pleasant 2 mile park ride under canopied trees for free.

From The Motor Parkway Toll Collection Structures: #1 Nassau Boulevard Lodge In Fresh Meadows, Queens