Vanderbilt Cup Races

Oheka and Jaynes Hill are both on the moraine, so the land where Oheka was built was already well above sea level. But Otto Kahn wanted to stand out I guess : )

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Dave- further to your point is that the Cold Spring Harbor train station was built specifically for the construction of Oheka and bringing in all the soil for it, later becoming a regular LIRR train station.
Although I don’t think most people include it because it was man-made and not natural topography.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

First of all happy new year everyone!!

Through my Gold Coast research I learned that Otto Kahn tried to purchase West Hills land because it was the highest point in Long Island. The owner wouldn’t sell, so Kahn wanted to make a point with all of his money, spent the next two years building up the land where Oheka Castle was built and THAT property is supposedly the highest point in Long Island.

Also, Walt Whitman would supposedly go up to the top of the West Hills land and write his poems. He lived nearby, as you all know. He liked to be at the high point.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Frank - It’s hard to tell from the photos on the website and the overhead photos on Google Maps. The irregularly-shaped property is across the street from my family members. It’s small and fenced in, and doesn’t look like it has any old pavement on it. I’ll ask.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

Art, Recall that the hill Deepdale in Lake Success was built was in the hunt also.  Story goes top of the hill was reachable only by foot and one could see the Atlantic Ocean and Connecticut. Vanderbilt lowered the hill substantially in order to get a larger level area for his residence and auxiliary buildings “hundreds of cart loads of soil were removed and were used to fill in the swampy/marshy areas of the Lake.”

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Nice collection Dave!  Have you read them all?  Here’s a list of their works from Wikipedia.

From UPDATE - Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Race in Literature and Entertainment (Part 2)

The South Huntington Water District has been sure that Jayne’s Hill is the highest point on L.I. since 1926.

From Kleiner's Korner Vote Request: The Ongoing Debate Over the Highest Hill on Long Island

Regarding the identities of the two women…. the original photo is owned by the Huntington Historical Society. Some 20 years ago I was allowed to make a copy. My recollection was that the photo was part of a particular family’s gift to the Society. They could possibly identify the two young ladies.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

Good Morning Art: Just looking around to see what Williamson books I have around here!  Happy Motoring, Dave.

From UPDATE - Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Race in Literature and Entertainment (Part 2)

Al Prete - could this be the irregular property in Dix Hills? Homeowners Arlene and Carmine have a 275ft section of Motor Pkwy in their yard!
https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/long_island_motor_parkway_preservation_society_visits_a_hidden_section_of_t

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

I’m accustomed to viewing maps northbound, so here’s the 1907 survey & 1917 Belcher Hyde Map.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

I have family living on Fox Lane. They showed me where their neighbor’s property is irregularly shaped, because the Motor Parkway ran through it.

As a fan of classic theatrical cartoons, I can’t resist posting this picture, from the 1948 MGM cartoon “Lucky Ducky,” directed by Tex Avery:

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

1905 ‘X’ Mercedes HQ at the ‘Mansion House’ in Roslyn about the same time.
Photos from the Roslyn Landmark Society

From Update: Mystery Foto #52 Solved: A 1966 Chevy Impala parked in front of the historic Roslyn Grist Mill in 1967

WOW! Could that be Al Velocci’s wife and daughter? Looking forward to this week’s answer

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

WEAF mentioned above eventually became 66 WNBC.  Today, it is All-Sports, WFAN.
 

From UPDATE - Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Race in Literature and Entertainment (Part 2)

Perhaps the women are related to Al during a LIMP exploration near the Old Bethpage Village

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

My only guess with help from the hint photo - two beauties at the Nassau-Suffolk county line, photographer looking west into Old Bethpage Village just two years after the LIMP closed. The elevation in the far rear could be the Claremont Ave parkway bridge, to be removed ~10 years later in the 1950s. The meaning of the sign could be Nassau County’s limit of maintenance responsibility at the county line.

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: A 1940 view of the Motor Parkway at Half Hollow Road in Dix Hills

The jacket cover of the book and the map of Long Island. 

The above passages and map were from the book that can be downloaded at hathitrust.org.  The jacket cover was from gutenberg.org.

From UPDATE - Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Race in Literature and Entertainment (Part 2)

Thanks Dave for your comment on The “Lightning Conductor Discovers America”.  Its married authors are Charles Norris and Alice Muriel Williamson who wrote many novels with Alice specializing in motor travel romances.  Their first “Lighting Conductor” story was written in 1903 and was called “The Lightning Conductor: The Strange Adventures of a Motor Car” and took place in Europe.  It was made into a movie in 1914 and was shown in America. 

As you note the American version was written in 1916.  In the passages that I’ve attached the beauty of Long Island the Motor Parkway allows the passenger to witness is described, along with praise for the builder of the parkway, although not named.  Several pages of the story describe Long Island and mention the route taken.

From UPDATE - Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Race in Literature and Entertainment (Part 2)

Love the story about the Summer and Winter bodies on the Locomobiles, etc, and the refurbishing of each when Not in “Use”.

From Walt Gosden Article: A Vanderbilt Locomobile