Vanderbilt Cup Races

This is just a wonderful story to read about life in LI at that time and the connection to the Motor Parkway.  I thoroughly enjoyed this post.  Thanks to Howard, Al and Maureen.

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

Frank- Your 1930 aerial displays the lodge structure extending across the parkway just like in Lake Ronkonkoma, excellent. Then with the aerials from the late 40’s thru the early 50’s, the Schimkat’s property, etc; is clearly seen. Think we can even see the path that Maureen trekked on to go to school. Maureen and Edith knowing of each other would be the icing on the cake.

Art- I can say with enough certainty that the Zapf surname being associated with the LIMP twice must be more than just a coincidence ( not a common surname ). If McCarthy was the name involved, I wouldn’t give it a thought. We take up one page in the phone book

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

Thanks so much for the first hand account and photos, Maureen.  Great that your memories of LI are still so vivid.

Al - In your book, and as Howard mentions, I see the name of the future owner of the lodge property as Zaph.  As Maureen remembers the owners were Zapf.  A 1941 map of the area also shows the area owned by a J. Zapf and there’s a 1948 newspaper article in the Long-Islander of the $3,000 estate of a Jacob Zapf of Huntington going to his wife, Isaline.  His death in ‘48 would tend to be in sync with the purchase of the property by Maureen’s parents around ‘49 or ‘50. 

If the true spelling is Zapf, interesting coincidence in that my friend whose house sits on the Mayan Ruins in Garden City which we visited last year is also named Zapf.  While I don’t believe they are related (I’ll do some researching) that would be two different Zapfs living on the Motor Parkway (one in Garden City and one in Huntington). 

I’ll send the map and clipping if you would like.

Art

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

Hi Howard:  When and if you see Tom DeMauro, would you ask him if he was the
owner and operator of a 7/11 in Garden City Park.  If so, he would be about in his
late 60’s or early 70’s . He was a member of the Model A Club of Long island when
I resided on Long island.   
                          Thanks and Best !!!  Ron

From Hemmings Cover Article: Mustang III The Concept Car That Helped Ignite the Pony-Car Revolution

Brian Sansom——by any chance do you have any pics of the Motor Parkway back from when you were a kid?

From Sam & Dave's "Excellent Motor Parkway Hike" II: Central Avenue to Caroline Street-Updated 5/10/2017

Vanderbilt Day IV will be happening in the next few weeks, exact date TBD but the mission is to start just west of Lakeville Road, behind the hospital, and then proceed through all of Nassau in detail and finish again at the Maxess Road bridge.

Does anyone have any ideas as to possible unknown exploration locations? Are there any thoughts? Howard shared a great idea last year, the Mineola/Albertson location just south of Sigsbee Ave and that turned out to be a great find with lots of LIMP pavement remaining.

Anyone????

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville

So this is where Vanderbilt Day III really begins as the goal of this day was to explore from Maxess Road bridge east but we felt just to start here would be too short of a day to just do that so we had to enjoy the Bethpage portion first, one of the best locations. But now, let the journey begin!

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville

S Berliner, III , I also thought the Autocar could possibly be WWII surplus…

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

Thank you Maureen for the wonderful story growing up in Melville. I believe you may have had a neighbor about your age (Edith Klarmann) who lived just to the south on a small farm off Ruland Road. Edith occasionally comments on this web site and I was curious if you two have ever met.

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/long_island_motor_parkway_bridge_series5broad_hollow_motor_road_parkway_tro

Thank you Phil for pointing out Bridge Rd. Today it is fragmented, paved, and lined with houses under a canopy of trees. I took a Google street-view stroll through it and found myself on a country road back in time. It still has its charm of yesterday but with a noisier Motor Pkwy nearby. I’ll be biking down this path when I’m in town!

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

That’s less than 1/2 mile from me.  Sadly, some have taken to vandalizing it with graffiti within the last year.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville

Bruce Adams:
I guess it’s the Farm Way Bridge abutment off Maxx’s Road in Melville built 1910.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville

Not that anyone will care, except maybe Maureen and Hugh, but I just posted the Cub Cadet (and more) at that same link for comparison.  Also, can’t help but wonder if that Autocar truck wasn’t WWII surplus.  Sam, III

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

Sammy is “chillin’” on top of the Ezekiel Smith farmway bridge (1910), just 150’ east of Maxess Rd. in Melville. I believe it’s the north abutment with direct sunlight. 

I remember those walls were pretty high when visiting a few years ago. How’d he get up there?! Great stuff guys.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville

Two automotive ityems.  !. - that ag. tractor is a full Farmall Cub, NOT a Cadet; the latter was a small garden tractor.  At that same time or so, I was getting to drive my first internal combustion vehicle, a Cub, and I promptly put the hitch through the back wall of our garage!  I am still a big-time Cub fan, <http://sbiii.com/tractors.html#ihfrmcub, and have a small model next to me now.  The 1952 truck-tractor pic appears to be of an Autocar, a very heavy vehicle indeed.  Sam, III

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

Sam - Neat!  Ron

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The Aircraft of the Long Island Aviation Country Club Part I

they are on the bridge that the LIMP ran under,near Duryea/Maxess. The bridge connected 2 parts of a farm together, based on my LIMP education. I have the pics of the bridge date in my room, but offhand its 1909 I believe (although it could be 1908 lol)

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville

{R. Troy - missed your question!} Several DC-2s survive and the Dutch have one flying.  Ercoupes abound in many guises!  ERCO, the original builder, was founded in 1930 by Henry Berliner, son of famed telephone, gramophone, and helicopter inventor Emile Berliner (no relation of mine).  A Spartan Executive (although a 12W) survives in Tulsa.  Air & Space has a Sikorsky JRS-1 (Navy S-43) and Howard Hughes’ S-43 survives in Florida, both being restored, and there is one restored in Arizona.  One Skyfarer survives in Iowa.  Sam, III

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The Aircraft of the Long Island Aviation Country Club Part I

Great post. Very interesting. Thank you Maureen for sharing this info and the great photos. I had no idea the information regarding this lodge was such a mystery. Two questions:

1) How did you get in touch with Maureen?

2) Where EXACTLY was the lodge moved to? There is a reason I’m asking but in this post it says it was moved south of the ROW. This might be a job for our cartographer extraordinaire Frank. A few years a ago I came across a large pile of debris that could be remains of a structure that is just south of the LIMP, east of RTE 110 so I’m wondering if this might be remnants of the lodge or an outbuilding perhaps?
______________________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

1) Maureen contacted me after finding this website.

2). In 1938 this section of the Motor Parkway was given to Suffolk County. The building was moved south of Motor Parkway at least 50 feet from the middle of the road.

From Update: VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Memories of Living in the Huntington Lodge in Melville

Maxess Road in Melville. 
Ezekiel Smith farmway bridge (1910) going over the Parkway.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville

That sure looks like Sammy relaxing on top of the abutment for the Ezekiel Smith farmway bridge, built in 1910 and now near Maxess Road in Melville.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: Sammy on the Ezekiel Smith Farmway Bridge in Melville