Vanderbilt Cup Races

Howard - any idea when this will be going up - will there by a ceremony?

From Historical Marker to Be Installed at the Merrick Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Site in East Meadow

Guesses this week:
Searington road? Now - CVS or Starbucks
Dodge, Ford, Chevy
early 1960s
This one I think I found the answer:  Weathervane on top of building used to be on the General Manager’s office building in Garden City.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: The Former Jondol Service Station on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola

Randi Drive In Cleaners 300 Jericho Tpke Mineola, Nothside of Jericho Tpke at Marcellus Ave.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: The Former Jondol Service Station on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola

Congratulations on the historical marker! I’m sure you and Al worked hard to acknowledge the motor parkway!

From Historical Marker to Be Installed at the Merrick Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Site in East Meadow

I can identify most of the vehicles. In the first picture, a ‘54 Chevy, a ‘63 Olds 88, and, barely visible, the headlights of a ‘65 Plymouth Fury. In the second picture, a ‘63 Ford Galaxie. The truck looks like a Chevy, ‘47-‘54. The ‘30s car has me stumped.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: The Former Jondol Service Station on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola

Frank—it’s easy to get back there. I’ve never done it because I assumed the new development there surely took away any remnants of the old house. Use your map skills and lay out the old house vs the development now and if you think it’s worth pursuing I’ll get on over there and check it out. This house was not on the “estate” level so was never on my radar in that regard either. Let me know if for worth looking at. Send me link as to where house was vs development.

This section of LIMP is the best. You can just look around, take a breath and just imagine it’s a century earlier and you are on the parkway rolling on back to your Gold Coast estate.

From Sam and Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #2 Manhasset Hills

Thank you, Art! I’ll have to check your website out.
Robert, I pass the Maxess Rd one almost daily. I also service a customer that has the old Clody Farmway bridge on their property 😊
Now I know based on maps part of the Melville section is under the Newsday property but I’m curious if it was demolished or just paved/planted over. There’s going to be major construction in that area once they move out this coming fall.

From Sam and Dave's "Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day"- #1 The Start in Lake Success

Lindsay, glad you’ll be doing some exploring!  Been doing it myself since 2004 and i used Sam’s website to get started (thanks Sam for a great primer).  Since then I’ve built my website which you should check out, especially the individual pages under the “more” tab for details on specific areas.  The pages about the tours I have given might also give you some ideas as to what you may want to do.  I gave an acquaintance from Chicago a 5 hour tour this past spring and if you like I design something for you and your boyfriend and will accompany you if you want.  Just let me know.  My e-mail is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 

Main thing is to get started as several spots that were previously available are now inaccessible due to development (i.e., parts in Levittown near where I live where homes have been built over the roadway - actually where the Vanderbilt Cup Race Grandstand was) and in Garden City where Raymond Court meets the Parkway where while there are still lots there several posts were removed during a home renovation. 

My sebsite:
https://www.freewebs.com/limparkway/

Just be courteous and careful.  While treking through Deadman’s Curve in Bethpage on a Sunday morning around 7:30 once I heard some dogs barking and then a guy approached me and asked why I was snooping around in back of his property.  I explained and he told me his backyard butts up against Deadman’s Curve and several times he found real estate developers taking pictures and wanting to know if the property was for sale.  He doesn’t want any homes encroaching on his property so he was not too friendly to them.  But to me he was fine.  That was about the worst of it.  Another time in the Bagatelle section I ended up wandering onto a tree farm and some workers came out in a truck.  I explained and they were friendly and directed my off the farm. 

Best time to go explore is in the late winter when the thickets are not so bad (just about getting past that time now). 

Good luck and let us know how you make out. 

Art

From Sam and Dave's "Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day"- #1 The Start in Lake Success

The building still stands on Jericho turnpike, across from Chaminade School in Mineola.  The roof top automobile wind directional hints of motor parkway.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: The Former Jondol Service Station on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola

Great update shots of the LIMP Sam and Dave! I’ve yet to see that fence north of the OCR bridge but yes, Old Courthouse Road once terminated northward at I.U. Willets Road. Beyond that fence I believe it’s now backyards on private property. But there is a section north of these properties that is barren, likely NSP property. begging for exploration. I’ve added this to the “To Do List”.

From Sam and Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #2 Manhasset Hills

Lindsay,

The Maxess Rd location in Melville is super easy in both directions. You can easily spot the blue history sign marker on the east side of Maxess in between Duryea Road and Ruland Road.

From Sam and Dave's "Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day"- #1 The Start in Lake Success

I was driving through the area on April 10, 2019, and I saw the historic marker sign, so I pulled over to see what it was for. Once I saw the embankment, I knew it was the LIMP. I took a few pictures.

From Status Report: The Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge on Maxess Road in Melville Updated: 10/16/2016

I’ll never forget the Madonna Heights section, Frank lol. Having dog treats handy is a good idea!

From Sam and Dave's "Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day"- #1 The Start in Lake Success

Lol’s, Dave. Those insulators will be there for years to come. Flooding beneath that bridge must have always been an issue. Remember large gravel being laid there by LIPA, but it’s never ending. Just realized your image with the gates is the ‘north dead end’ of Old Courthouse Rd ( which continued north to IU Willets Rd in the far past ). Nice job with your youtube video!

From Sam and Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #2 Manhasset Hills

Dave - Sending Howard Bethpage overlay attachments. I keep getting “exceeded file height/width size” errors when sending pics via the comment section. Am I alone with this error?

I should’ve sent these a while ago. This is what Wayne and I found separately. Note the alignment on most of today’s streets vs the 1950 aerial. This is as close as I can get. Dead Man’s Curve #2 was real!

From Sam and Dave's "Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day"- #1 The Start in Lake Success

Doubt it, Frank.  TWO customized narrow-track bikes?  Unlikely.  Reed Martin gussied up both the deDion (yes - French - 1883-1953) and the Orient (at right, below) alike.  Here are comparison shots together, plus two other deD-B trikes with normal track like the Orient.  I’d put my money on the LIAM bike being Martin’s Vandy bike.  Sam, III

From Joe Tracy at the Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton

Howard, Reducing the toll rate in 1933 was a little bit more complicated. The 40 cents toll took effect on December 12, that year. Prior to that there was also a 50 cents toll on Sundays only from the Hillside lodge to the Meadow Brook Lodge as far back as 1927. There was also a 20 cents toll for a short period of time from the Mineola Lodge to the Hillside Lodge that went into effect shortly after the Northern State Parkway opened up the entrance/exit at Jericho Tpke. which was located about a quarter mile from the Mineola Lodge.  The 40 cents toll was modified on Nov. 1, 1936. From that date forward that rate was good only between the western terminus and the Mineola Lodge. On that date the toll was raised to 75 cents to traverse the entire parkway. Between April 1st and April 19th, 1938, the last day tolls were collected, 76 automobiles paid the 40 cents rate and 577 paid the 75 cents rate. Al.

From Mystery Friday #14 Solved:The Motor Parkway Sign at the Western Terminus at Fresh Meadows

Thank you all so much for the input! I’m super excited to start exploring!

From Sam and Dave's "Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day"- #1 The Start in Lake Success

Awesome trike indeed and very interesting! This French? company may have produced various models. This trike compared to the one on Sam’s site (not the custom Vanderbilt version) has no foot pegs on the fork, the tires slightly smaller, and chain ring on the pedals slightly larger. Both front brake mechanisms appear the same, compressing the top of the tire under the head tube, but can’t make out the rear brake for beans. Too much stuff going on back there. The Vanderbilt version appears to possess a leather Brooks saddle, but never seen one with that suspension gadget underneath. Only the best! Thanks everyone for posting.

From Joe Tracy at the Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton

Lindsay - a second thought if I may - following up on what Dave and Frank suggest, start with the Old Bethpage Village bridge, then walk the segment east from 110 along the southern boundary of the Postal facility, and next see the old abutments off Maxess Road.  That should, in one easy half-day, readily accessible in the Melville area, give you a flavor of what lies ahead.  Sam, III

From Sam and Dave's "Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day"- #1 The Start in Lake Success