Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thanks for sharing this amazing map with us. It is very interesting that as late as 1931, Robert Moses had not yet projected a parkway to what became the Bethpage State Park. Robert Moses’ power and influence motivated the Town of Babylon to enact their first zoning regulations in 1931. These regulations were strengthened in 1954. Moses wanted strict local planning and zoning to protect his lovely parkways from intrusive development. It is also interesting how close the Long Island Motor Parkway came to the Bethpage Park.

From Robert Moses' 1931 Planning Map for Long Island Parks and Parkways

Howard:  Thanks for the wonderful post.  Hope all is well with you.
Best,
Tom

From Robert Moses' 1931 Planning Map for Long Island Parks and Parkways

1908
#4 Chadwick driven by William Haupt, Mechanician ?
Ellison Ave. RailRoad Bridge, Westbury

From Mystery Foto #98 Solved:The #4 Chadwick on the Ellison Road RR Bridge During 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

-Identify the Vanderbilt Cup Race

1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

-Identify the race car, the driver and mechanician

#4 60 HP Chadwick driven by William Haupt- Mechanician: Lindquist

-Identify the location in the Mystery Foto.

Long Island Rail Road Bridge on Ellison Road in Westbury

From Mystery Foto #98 Solved:The #4 Chadwick on the Ellison Road RR Bridge During 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Hello Howard,
That DeSoto ad sure brought back memories. My dad was a mechanic at a Plymouth-DeSoto dealership in Long Island City back in the 1950’s and my first car when I started driving was that exact 1957 that Groucho was promoting. It had a 341 C.I. “Hemi” engine and was extremely fast. Thanks for that film clip.

Steve

From Video of the Week "Willie K. in an Auto Boat Race on the Hudson"

That’s William Haupt (driver) and his mechanician Lindquist in their Chadwick “Big Six” racer heading south on the Ellison Road (Avenue) bridge over the L. I. R. R. during the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race.

From Mystery Foto #98 Solved:The #4 Chadwick on the Ellison Road RR Bridge During 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Chadwick/Lindquest, 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race, heading south over the Ellison Avenue Railroad Bridge in Westbury. 

From Mystery Foto #98 Solved:The #4 Chadwick on the Ellison Road RR Bridge During 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

1.  Identify the Vanderbilt Cup Race:    1908.

2.  Identify the race car, the driver and mechanician:    Car #4 Chadwick (USA), driven by Willie Haupt with E.A. Lindquist, machanician.

3.  Identify the location in the Mystery Foto:    The bridge over the LIRR tracks at Ellison Avenue in Westbury.

From Mystery Foto #98 Solved:The #4 Chadwick on the Ellison Road RR Bridge During 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Love that ‘31 Duesenberg!  To see one in person is truly special!

From The Vintage Automobiles of the 80th Anniversary of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I just stumbled across this site. My grandparents owned the lighthouse and adjoining property for many years. Both sets of grandparents lived next door to each other and I would spent a lot of time, during the summer, at their houses. It was a magical place to be as a child. I have been inside the current mansion. It is nice, but I prefer the original layout I knew as a child and young adult. Before the Belmont castle, I believe there was a hotel there, called The Sands Point Hotel or something like that.
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From Howard Kroplick:

Hi Joe, thanks for the memories. If you have any photos and would like to share them on the website, please forward them to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

From Then & Now: Alva Vanderbilt Belmont's Beacon Towers in Sands Point

Reading everyone’s comments before Howard puts up his comments, made me want to post up another possibility for the original placement of the sign.  Maybe it was used near Roosevelt raceway during the 1936/37 Vanderbilt Cup Races…

From Mystery Foto #97 Solved: Rare Wooden Long Island Motor Parkway Sign (1933-1938)

Thankyou, Mr. Velocci. That’s good news. I would come across this area during work, (Lilco, National Grid). I don’t have the ability to get around as in the past with my parkinsonism. Libraries are one of my favorite places, and one you spoke of is in LIMP territory.

From A 1923 Property Map of Nassau County Highlighting the Motor Parkway

The Renault race car that “Ledgie” Pfund owned was found and purchased by Austin Clark. It sat in a back shed at his museum for many years, and Austin came to an agreement with Ledgie that they would both have half interest in ownership of Ledgie had the car restored, which he did. I never heard that the car ran properly under his ownership, and in fact Austin sold out his interest in the car after a few years once it had been restored .

From The Vintage Automobiles of the 80th Anniversary of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

By the way, there is another sign hanging just below it in the same fashion.

From Mystery Foto #97 Solved: Rare Wooden Long Island Motor Parkway Sign (1933-1938)

A toughy. This one may remain a mystery unless someone can recall seeing the sign back in the day. I shall make an attempt. 
1934-1938
The sign indicating Northern Pkwy places it in Nassau or Suffolk county, not Queens.
Because of its flimsy wire mount and emt electrical conduit behind, it is mounted on a small structure, possibly a house or booth, not a highway or bridge.
I believe it was used at a location where large volume of traffic was expected.
The busiest place I can think of where the LIMP ran through is the Roosevelt Raceway/Polo Fields/Roosevelt Field area respectively.
This sign may have been mounted on an entrance/exit booth to the Polo Fields or Roosevelt Raceway, to lure motorists onto the pricey LIMP to help avoid and alleviate traffic congestion on Old Country Rd and Stewart Ave. I suspect the intent was to cross the twin bridges (Polo Fields), work around to the Meadowbrook Lodge entrance on Merrick Ave, pay your toll!! (Perhaps at a discounted rate or free!!), travel westbound to the Mineola Lodge at Jericho Tpke and exit, then take a short hop eastward to the NSP ‘westbound only’ entrance via the Objector’s Bend section. The Meadowbrook Pkwy wasn’t around yet so accessing NSP west from the fun area for city dwellers was difficult pre WWII. Howard, I’m sending an attachment of this guess route and really looking forward to this week’s answers. This ought to be good. Thanks again. 

From Mystery Foto #97 Solved: Rare Wooden Long Island Motor Parkway Sign (1933-1938)

Oh, dear!  I was VERY disappointed in what I turned up (so far) but I posted it anyway:

  http://sbiii.com/limpnaer.html

At the very least, you’ll get the idea.

Sam, III

From A 1923 Property Map of Nassau County Highlighting the Motor Parkway

First, the dimensions of the sign appear to be wrong - if it is 3 ft. long, then it isn’t 2 ft wide.  Also is it 2-sided?  It dates from c.1933-1938 - from when the NSP 1st opened to when the LIMP closed.  As the sign shows no visible weathering it probably was protected under a bridge, etc., therefore single-sided, or dates from c. 1938.  The 1935 SOCONY Long Island Road Map shows the NSP ending at Jericho Tpke & Glen Cove Rd (Guinea Woods Rd), about where it now meets the Meadowbrook Pkwy, which didn’t exist north of the Sunrise Hwy then.  Logically then the sign would have to have been west of this spot in 1935, if it is from the earliest possible date.  By 1938 the NSP finally reached the Wantagh Pwy, so if the sign is c.1938 then it could have been west of Wantagh Pkwy instead.  Best I can do!
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From Howard Kroplick

Maybe 3 feet x 1 1/2 feet. Not sure if it is two-sided.

From Mystery Foto #97 Solved: Rare Wooden Long Island Motor Parkway Sign (1933-1938)

Mike LaBarbera reminds me of one of our original Motor Parkway Panel goals, to coordinate all these maps over a current USGS Topo Map (or, at least, over the latest Hagstroms)  as overlays.  We never got that far, although the Nassau County Parks proposal maps:

  http://sbiii.com/limpnass/limpncpk.html

and the Nassau County aerial series of 1926, 1950, and 2000 were sure a good start.  If I ever posted the latter, I can’t find it, so I think I’ll do so next - stay tuned here!  Sam, III

From A 1923 Property Map of Nassau County Highlighting the Motor Parkway

This answer is pure guess except for the dates.

Date could be 1933 corresponding to the time when the Northern State reached Roslyn Road.  Between this time and until 1934, there was no Northern State east of this as the wealthy land owners objected to its proposed route.  Objectors’ Bend was built south at that point bypassing the estates and crossed Westbury and Carle Place before once again heading east.

Sign might have been at Glen Cove Road, directing motorists on the Motor Parkway to continue on the Parkway to get to the Northern State at a point later west to continue to New York.

Might the most logical exit be Roslyn Road?

From Mystery Foto #97 Solved: Rare Wooden Long Island Motor Parkway Sign (1933-1938)

From Janet Guthrie:

Hi Howard—

I remember many enjoyable conversations with Ledyard Pfund at the Madison Avenue Sport Car Driving and Chowder Society’s meetings (still run by by my long-time friend Bruce Wennerstrom) at Sardi’s in the 1970s, but I never knew he owned a car or cars like the one shown.  Many thanks!

Best,
Janet Guthrie

From The Vintage Automobiles of the 80th Anniversary of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race