About
The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
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Recent Comments
Glad the weather and turn out was fine.
From Highlights from the Motor Parkway Field Trip to Bethpage
Irving Berlin’s in-laws.
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Howard Kroplick
You are correct!
From A Motor Parkway Director's Second Horse Statue Returns to Roslyn High School
Frank - I just now spotted the church, to the right of the yellow dot on both closeups below. You’ll also see the orange dot next to the dark building, which I figure was for preparation of the deceased, burials etc. The buildings that are just east of the trolley tracks seen here are evident on the older aerials. Trolley line was quite close to the church, definitely imagine a on & off stop here.
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
Love this stuff. Cool pic of the horse in the backyard. I would have never let anyone take that thing out of my yard!
Amazing to live in a location that you knew was once was a major estate. These people should all get metal detectors and dig up dropped treasures!
Water tower (pic below) still remains. Love the remnants!
Gate house remains as well, for now, but probably not much longer :(
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Howard Kroplick
The Village of East Hills now owns the Mackay Estate Gate Lodge and is planning to restore it. I am assisting them in this restoration.
The estate’s Dairyman’s Cottage is still standing in Elm Street. It was the home of lyricist Hal David for over 20 years.
From A Motor Parkway Director's Second Horse Statue Returns to Roslyn High School
You realize how tall the entire Horse Statue is when it was in the backyard peering over the roof. Guess the horse had to be cut in sections because of the weight or the cranes capacity?
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Howard Kroplick
The statues were originally built in three sections.
From A Motor Parkway Director's Second Horse Statue Returns to Roslyn High School
Hmm. Frank might be right but I think not; I spotted it instantly as the Wildwood church burial ground. I was wrong about direction - east, not north, and Broad Hollow, not Duryea, but I now think that the church is just out of the picture to the immediate right. The photographer is on the west end of the LIMP curve. Does anyone know how far the church and graveyard were moved? Sam, III
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
Fascinating story including the long-term determination to preserve these statues. The horses are truly spectacular. What a waste to have lost them. High five to all involved!
From A Motor Parkway Director's Second Horse Statue Returns to Roslyn High School
Ugh! I’m not convinced, there’s too many conflicts. Maybe I’m missing something. Can someone please point out where the white church is in the mystery photo? All I’ve got is we’re west of the Huntington Lodge. The orientation could be incorrect as well. Still working on this….
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
Revere and Lex? DING! That’s where the LI Aviation Country Club hangar roof is still extant (over Best Market HQ on Lot 594). This just gets better and better. Funny how that one chunk of RoW survived as a property. SO MUCH of the LIMP in this area! Sam, III
From Update: Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #11 Bethpage #2
Nice find Art! Never thought about the tax maps. Leave no stone unturned. Excellent!
From Update: Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #11 Bethpage #2
Here’s another document applicable for this thread. Nassau County Tax Map from 2003, showing the Motor Parkway roadway heading directly into the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway below Revere Avenue. Also showing Thorne Avenue as Central Avenue as I believe Al V. had pointed out. May not be anything new but thought it interesting.
My FOIL request is still outstanding. Supposed to hear something within 20 business days from when it was acknowledged (Aug. 16th) so hopefully soon. But I’m not holding my breadth!
From Update: Sam & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #11 Bethpage #2
Thanks, Howard, re 52. Thanks, Mark, re 57. I can’t help but wonder if there was/is any chassis ID plate or other authentication offered by B-J? More specifically to the point is Accelerate Auto Group’s site, <https://www.tuckerconvertible.com>, but simply having “57” stamps isn’t in any way proof of Tucker factory assembly. [Heinz, maybe?] I’m no Tucker fan but this mystery is truly fascinating. Hope more devolves. Sam, III
From Video Update: Tucker 1052C: #52 of the 51 Tuckers Built Sold at Auburn Auction
Wow; I was about to comment that this is nowhere near the sand pits when I had the sense to look first. WOW! I’ve been in and out of the area most of my adult life, worked nearby for 17 years, and LIMPed around there for some 20 or so and never realized. See, I’m NOT too old to learn. For those of you who also were unaware, see the attached aerial view. Sam, III
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
I lucked out when coming across one of Howard’s panoramic views of Melville circa 1930.
Like Sam III figures, the image is 1920 or earlier. Looking closely, I see wood/cedar posts on either side of the parkway. Then there’s the trolley line that continued straight from Duryea Rd then north until it met up with Broad Hollow Rd again. This stretch of the trolley row eventually became the section of Rte 110 we know today.
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
Sam, on Google Search - 1948 Tucker convertible, you’ll see load of photos of this blue Tucker convertible and stories, I got the Hemmings Daily from Jan.3rd, 2013, story about this Tucker was removed from Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction.
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2013/01/03/tucker-convertible-removed-from-barrett-jackson-auction/
From Video Update: Tucker 1052C: #52 of the 51 Tuckers Built Sold at Auburn Auction
Trying to locate where the photographer was standing. In the mystery photo the white church is in the distance and away from the cemetery. The cemetery today is still located in the backyard of the white church. Both were slightly moved to the west after 1947 to make room for Broad Hollow Rd expansion. The trolley line followed today’s Broad Hollow Rd, just behind the cemetery in the distance. The ‘38 and ‘47 aerials both show no roadways or cemetery in this sand pit region of Melville, but farmlands. Where was the photographer standing?
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
Nice photo. Congrats to all who got the correct answer. I definitely didn’t give this one enough thought. Used to work in the area and went past it quite a number of times - should have came up with the correct answer!
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
First time to see any photo of the parkway at this particular location, and that it traveled along a plateau by the sand pits. The closest photos I’ve seen was at Clody bridge just to the west, and the Broad Hollow bridge to the east. Always learning something new here. Super Fantastic to the eagle-eyed experts!
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
A correction to my previous comment - Roads seen: LIMP, Broad Hollow Rd ( which followed the route of today’s Old Walt Whitman Rd here ), Trolley Line ( wood poles for the trolley wire seen along that row ), then possibly Baylis Rd in the distance.
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
Never seen this one before. Terrain looks like Bethpage but it doesn’t resemble the Stymus’ farm(house). Motor Parkway in foreground with concrete posts at bottom left corner, and guardrails beginning at center (parkway bridge?). Too many tombstones to be Nibbe’s cemetery. It’s a long shot but I’m going to guess Bethpage looking east towards the Old Plainview Road (Pre 1908) roadway, still intersecting with a walk path that once existed before the Motor Pkwy was built. Hats off to anyone that can solve this.
From Mystery Friday #35 Solved: A View Along the Long Island Motor Parkway in Melville
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