Vanderbilt Cup Races

Also uncovered the second movie playing at the Patchogue Theater as ’ Let’s Go Native’ starring Jack Oakie, also from 1930.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

What is the exact year that this photo was taken?

1930

What was the likely location of these roadside signs?

In, or near, Lake Ronkonkoma.

Where was the Motor Parkway sign pointing to?

Probably towards the Ronkonkoma Lodge entrance.

Provide details on any of the advertisers.

Otto Marx was a pharmacist in Lake Ronkonkoma. Chesterfield and Camel (behind the Otto Marx billboard) were/are obviously cigarette makers. The Patchogue Theater (opened in 1923) billboard is showing ‘Call of the Flesh’ from 1930 and finally, Joseph Fiala, as per his 1965 obituary, opened his paint store in Sayville the year before (1929)

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

What is the exact year that this photo was taken?

• 1930, probably October.

What was the likely location of these roadside signs?

•  Ronkonkoma, probably on or near Rosevale Avenue.

Where was the Motor Parkway sign pointing to?

• The Ronkonkoma Lodge entrance to the Long Island Motor Parkway.

Provide details on any of the advertisers:

• Chesterfield is a brand of cigarettes, popular during the 1920’s and ‘30’s, originally manufactured by The Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company and named for Chesterfield County, Virginia.  The brand is still made today by the Altria Group.

• Joseph Fiala moved to Lake Ronkonkoma with his family in 1913 and opened Joseph Fiala, Inc., a retail paint and wallpaper store at 199 Railroad Avenue in March 1928.

• Pharmacist Otto Marx was an American born in 1874 in Rottwell, Germany, where his father was stationed as American consul.  Mr. Marx owned and operated a pharmacy on Hawkins Avenue, Lake Ronkonkoma between 1922 and 1946.

• The Patchogue Theater was located at 71 E. Main Street, Patchogue, now the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts.  The theater was built as Ward and Glynne’s Theater in 1923.  The theater was acquired by the Prudential Theater Circuit in 1929.  According to an ad in the October 14, 1930 edition of the Patchogue Advance newspaper, “Call of the Flesh,” staring Ramon Novarro was shown at the theater on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 14th and 15th, 1930; and “Let’s Go Native” starring Jack Oakie was shown between Thursday, Friday and Saturday,  October 16th,17th and 18th, 1930.

From Mystery Foto #4 Solved: Roadside Signs in Lake Ronkonkoma in October 1930 (Updated: 1/28/2015)

Thanks Frank! I think you’re a little off. The driving range stood exactly on top of the Francis Lewis Blvd. extension south of Horace Harding Blvd. I’m sending Howard three JPGs showing a closeup of the range. You’ll know what I’m saying when you see them.

PS: the bridge taking the LIMP over Francis Lewis was later replaced by the one that is there today.

From Mystery Foto 2015 #2 Solved: Cunningham Park, the Motor Parkway and Union Turnpike in 1938

Hi Howard:

  Another great segment of the LIMP and a great memory for me from1981….

        My Best To You Always !!!!  Cheers !!!!  Ron

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series #53: Clody Farmway Bridge in Huntington (Melville Sand Pits)

Hi Mitch!
I believe you are double-correct. Your interesting facts began a fun investigation. Howard, I’m submitting photos of the finds. Thanks Mitch and Howard.
_________________________

From Howard Kroplick
Jpegs have been posted above.

From Mystery Foto 2015 #2 Solved: Cunningham Park, the Motor Parkway and Union Turnpike in 1938

So very interesting indeed….Thanks for sharing Paul Macone…..

From A 1913 Journey to Paris in an Alco Touring Car (Updated: January 19, 2015)

From Dan Scheidel:

When ever I drive down Old Country Rd., Garden City and pass Roosevelt Field I think back on the days of my youth and would see various gararges with nationality flags or banners of race car companies and companies involved in auto racing years back.  I’ve done some reseach on your web site regarding the Vanderbilt Races and wonder if they, the garages, were part of those races.  1936 and 1937. I guess I was about seven or eight years old and my father had to work at Police Headquarters in Mineola at that time.  I know this may be a strange request but are there any pictures of those garages?

Thanks for your patience.

Dan

From The Tire and Repair Stations of the Vanderbilt Cup Races

The disappointed man is Arthur Chevrolet, driving a Marquette-Buick during the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup race (like his brother Louis). Arthur was (as stated by Automobile Topics issue of Oct. 8) “a perfect likeness of his famous brother [Louis], except for a brown moustache in place of a black one”. During the 8th round he fell out with a broken driving chain and a doubled radius rod (again according to Automobile Topics). Which apparently was quite a blow! Eventually none of the three Marquette-Buicks (Bob Burman was driving the third car) would make it to the finish. Although Louis Chevrolet and Bob Burman even took 1st and 2nd place from the 3rd to the 9th round, Burman’s car was forced out by radiator problems in the 10th round and Chevrolet’s car ran off the road shortly after a pit stop at the end of the 15th round. In this incident his mechanic Charles Miller was killed almost instantly.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved:Driver Arthur Chevrolet After His Marquette-Buick Broke Down in the 1910 Race

Race: 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race, Long Island (The last on Long Island until ’36, ’37, ’60)
Racer: #3 Marquette-Buick (Broke drive chain at Lap 8, forced to quit, finished 25/30)
Driver: Arthur Chevrolet (Younger brother of Louis Chevrolet, also in same race)
Mechanician: Bob Evans
With all that can possibly go wrong mechanically with a racer, a drive chain! What are the odds? 

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved:Driver Arthur Chevrolet After His Marquette-Buick Broke Down in the 1910 Race

I believe the first castle to be Chambord Castle in the Loire river valley in France.
http://www.eupedia.com/france/chambord_castle.shtml

From A 1913 Journey to Paris in an Alco Touring Car (Updated: January 19, 2015)

Wild guess - Elliot Shepard, Jr., after his Hotchkiss struck down errant spectator Curt Gruner fatally on the sixth lap in 1906.  WRONG!  The Hotchkiss was #6, not #3.  It’s not Arents in 1904 when his Mercedes flipped on mechancian Carl Mensel- his was #5.  AHA!  1910’s #3 was the Marquette-Buick (USA) driven by Arthur Chevrolet (Louis’ bro.), who broke down when his driving chain broke up during the eighth lap, forcing him out of the race.  No fatality involved, just terrible frustration.  I KNEW I’d seen this pic somewhere.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved:Driver Arthur Chevrolet After His Marquette-Buick Broke Down in the 1910 Race

“Grey tourneau”?  Oh, I don’t think so - my watch is gold; try “Grey tonneau”!  All kidding aside, though, this is fantastic documentation.  I don’t think those ship pix match; different stacks.  What a kick that trip must have been for Nick Marcone!  Thanks, Howard.  Sam, III

From A 1913 Journey to Paris in an Alco Touring Car (Updated: January 19, 2015)

Mystery photo

Event:  1906 american elimination trials

Driver: Ralph Mongini

Car : Matheson
Driver anguishing because his car ditched at manhasset striking a telephone pole on the first lap of the event.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved:Driver Arthur Chevrolet After His Marquette-Buick Broke Down in the 1910 Race

From Hector G:

Someone should make this a movie. It’s an interesting story. Especially the story between Robert Moses and Vanderbilt that eventually led to the closing of the Parkway

From A 1913 Journey to Paris in an Alco Touring Car (Updated: January 19, 2015)

Bill Jackson is one of the great guys in the recording and preservation of automotive history. He was a founder of the Society of Automotive Historians (member #2) and was former Editor of both the Antique Automobile Club of America magazine and The Classic Car Club of America magazine. He is also the co author of one of the absolute best biographies of an automotive artist/stylist/designer ever written,’ Rolling Sculpture’. This is the story of Gordon Buehrig , who is best known as the man who designed the styling for the 1936 -37 Cord.
I am so happy to see my long time friend Bill Jackson’s memories of Austin Clark appear here for all to enjoy.

From New Series:William S. Jackson's "Memories of Henry Austin Clark: Capturing a Freya Radar Station"

Two additional comments (correct me if I’m wrong):

-when Francis Lewis Blvd. was completed, a bridge was built by the city for the LIMP to cross over it (just north of Union Turnpike). Instead of following the exact curve of the LIMP, the bridge was built slightly north of the original curve. East of Francis Lewis, a “new” roadway had to be built, which eventually met the old roadway a short distance from there.

-new discovery (for me): the sandy area just south of Francis Lewis, where it meets Horace Harding Blvd., was a golf driving range at the time of this picture.

From Mystery Foto 2015 #2 Solved: Cunningham Park, the Motor Parkway and Union Turnpike in 1938

It must have been very impressive to see this American automobile touring about Paris and possibly through a lot of Europe. I am surprised that the car appears to still be running on non-demountable rims, especially for the task at hand.

From A 1913 Journey to Paris in an Alco Touring Car (Updated: January 19, 2015)

It was a great privilege to attend Madonna Heights School (graduating Class of ‘66)  The Sisters (we called them MOTHERS) would go into NYC and downtown Brooklyn and would
stand outside the subways and get donations from the people traveling home from work.  Our Mothers made us the beautiful Christian women we are today! The Astor family were very generous to the Good Shepherd Sisters, fyi.  Sincerely, Lillian Andrade (LillyBud)

From Was the "Bagatelle" Mansion in Half Hollow Hills Built by a Vanderbilt?

That’s Arthur Chevrolet (brother of Louis & Gaston) lying on the side of the road during the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race. He was distraught over the fact that the #3 Marquette-Buick he was driving broke a chain and he was forced to quit the race while on lap #8.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved:Driver Arthur Chevrolet After His Marquette-Buick Broke Down in the 1910 Race