Vanderbilt Cup Races

Mystery Foto Questions

1) Henry Austin Clark Jr.
2) 1912 Simplex Touring Car
3) ?

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

That’s Henry Austin Clark, Jr. driving his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau at Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, NY. His lovely passengers are Margaret Hoffman, Anne Adams, and Mary Ryan. And yes, Gary, I’ve seen the postcard.

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Awesome listen, motivating

From Video of the Week: Gararageinsidertv.com- Rob Ida tells the inside story behind Tucker 1044 and the Holman-Moody Challenger III

Lee During WW 1 the Government leased the property which would become Mitchel Field, the lease had language that the lease would terminate at the end of the war. At the same time the government leased most of the Motor parkway spur south of Stewart Ave. paying $31.90 per month per acre under the same conditions. There came a time when the Government extended Mitchel Field to Oak St. In September 1939 the Parkway sold the 50 foot wide portion of the Hempstead Spur south of Stewart Ave. for $8900.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

This May, 1958 map of the Central extension indicates in hand written notes the approximate location of where Uniondale Ave. (referred to as ‘ex Uniondale Rd.’) once extended past Hempstead Turnpike and crossed through the area that became Mitchel. 

I believe the reference to ‘ex Westbury Rd.’ was actually the extension of California Ave. north of Hempstead Turnpike.  It would not meet Westbury Road until after crossing Stewart Ave. but before they got to the LIMP, the merged route continuing northeastward to Merrick Ave. just south of Old Country Road.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Al,

Could this the 1906 atlas image you are referring to?  It shows two access roads from Stewart Ave. down the to Salisbury Plains station, one on either side of it, but both to the west of Merrick Ave.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Also, this 1914 map showing Westbury Road further east of the LIMP Spur across the soon to be Camp Mills, crossing the Central railroad tracks, then Stewart Ave. and merging south of the LIMP with the northern extension (beyond Hempstead Turnpike) of California Ave. from Uniondale. 

It then crossed the LIMP and made its way to a rendezvous with Merrick Ave. (Whaleneck Road) just south of Old Country Road.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Al,

Found this 1923 map showing Westbury Road east of Oak Street continuing in a northeasterly direction and terminating at the LIMP Spur.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Al,

Having spent virtually my entire childhood and adolescence growing up on Mitchel Field, I have always had a particular interest in the Westbury Blvd. that you speak of.

Many times we would take the portion of what’s left of it through East Garden City as a short cut to get to Garden City proper and/or Hempstead. 

As for the part of the roadway that cut across what became Camp Mills / Mitchel,
I have never found any remnant of it (at least South of Stewart Avenue). 

Would you happen to have a map of that area East of Oak Street from back in time?

Thanks!

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Al,

I have very distant memories of reading somewhere the extant bridge was not the original one; there had been another one very close to it just to the west of it which preceded it but by only a few years.  If I’m not mistaken, the original purpose of (let’s call it West trestle #1) was to go over water, possibly related to nearby Meadow Brook Creek. 

And of course you are correct.  The Meadow Brook Club Road did indeed go UNDER the (let’s call it East trestle #2). 

Could you please post the image from the 1906 atlas?

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Al Prete,  The Westbury Blvd. you referred to had no connection with the Meadow Brook Club. But , it does have an interesting history of it’s own and a connection to the Motor Parkway. Today the northern end is at Oak St. There was a time when it’s northern terminus was at Merrick Ave. just south of Old Country Rd. , Westbury. away from built up areas. At that time it was known as the Sheep’s Pen Rd. Sheep farmers from Hempstead and the surrounding areas kept their sheep at the northern end of the road.  It was only when the Motor Parkway ROW was being built thru the Hempstead Plains that they were told that what looked like a dirt path was actually and legally a Town road ( since pre- revolutionary times) and would have to be bridged by the Parkway. For obvious reasons the bridge was never paved. When the federal government took over the property where Mitchel Field was located, it closed off the road at both the Parkway spur to Hempstead Tpke. and Stewart Ave. That part of the road north of Stewart Ave. fell into misuse, remember it was just a dirt path, and eventually gobbled up by developers of that area.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

I’m not saying it’s a fake. I asked the gentleman who runs the sight for his input on it. You’ve obviously seen his response. So I believe you are addressing the wrong individual here. You must understand the amount of fraud with signs and plates? I certainly hope it’s real!

From Fraud Alert Update: Guide to Identifying Authentic Versus Reproduced Long Island Motor Parkway and Roosevelt Field Porcelain Plates

After checking with the 1906 Atlas of Nassau County I came up with why the Club didn’t have the entrance south of the CRR. Originally they didn’t have frontage on today’s Merrick Ave. south of the CRR. It appears the entrance from Merrick Ave. came later ( with the advent of the automobile ? ) as the Atlas shows two entrances from Stewart Av. straddling the first CRR station.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

George, here is the response from the person selling the plate when I asked about its authenticity:

“I have had the plate 40 years. It came from my father who was a classic car collector. The plate came off of one of the cars he had. It probably came off a 1932 Plymouth or a Ford model a. Also the wear marks are consistent with other plates I see online, with the rusted grommets.”

From Fraud Alert Update: Guide to Identifying Authentic Versus Reproduced Long Island Motor Parkway and Roosevelt Field Porcelain Plates

You know, we keep referring it as the CRR bridge… but technically isn’t it an underpass ? The CRR was there before the Meadow Brook Hunt Club and they didn’t “bridge” the CRR, they went under it. While I’m at it…why didn’t the club have the entrance to the grounds south of the CRR ?

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Henry Austin Clark Jr. driving a 1912 Simplex at Gould’s Lyndhust Castle in Tarrytown.

https://lyndhurst.org/

From Mystery Friday Foto #6 Solved: Henry Austin Clark, Jr. visiting Lynhurst in Tarrytown in his 1912 Simplex Toy Tonneau in1970

Meadowbrook Parkway construction - January 28, 1955, bisecting the former Meadow Brook Golf Club.  Robert Moses gained access to the property through Eminent Domain.  Construction was funded by the toll on the Southern State Parkway.   

A large arc can be seen where the path of the roadway was being graded but concrete not yet laid down.  The LIRR Central line had recently been cut to accommodate the roadway.  Runways at Mitchel had not yet been extended.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Al,

Confirmed.  I’ve walked across the third bridge.  On the other side of Meadowbrook Parkway was the terminus of the LIRR’s Central line after it was cut for Parkway construction in mid 1955 and which happened to be literally inside the dump once used by the USAF and later by NCC adjacent to Perimeter Road.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Al,
The 3rd photo is looking west across Meadowbrook Parkway towards the old LIRR Central Branch right of way behind the Nassau Academy of Medicine.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow

Frank Regarding the three bridge photos you posted, I don’t think the third photo is the same bridge as the other two.

From Mystery Friday Foto #5 Solved: A 1930's view of the Motor Parkway area around Merrick Avenue in Westbury and East Meadow