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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
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
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Fascinating to read from his perspective and times…..Thanks Howard !
From New York Post, January 3, 1925: "Vanderbilt Recalls Days When 30 Miles An Hour Was Speed" Part I
From Dave F:
Howard, do not know where you get these fantastic, very interesting photos, but they are terrific…..keep up the good, interesting, informative, work that you do…..as Artie Johnson of the “Laugh In” tv show used to say….“VEDDY INTERESTING” Dave ......10-4
From New York Post, January 3, 1925: "Vanderbilt Recalls Days When 30 Miles An Hour Was Speed" Part I
And why would there be no date stamp on these abutments? I can’t see them on the old pics.
The west wall (abutment) is in a backyard that was abandoned as per a sign on the door when we did this last March. I’m sure by now someone has bought this house and moved in—- it is Garden City after all.
I concur with Hector this needs to be explored—- and Art you need to ask your friends on the other side of the road if we can come over with shovels and explore this thing further! We will promise to fill in any holes that we make!
Finally, am I nuts or on the old pic that you marked up Frank—- in the lower left hand portion of the abutment - did someone carve in a whale that is blowing water out of it’s spout??? It really looks like one!
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Frank, I don’t see two creases in the old photo. I only see the one big one - I would think if there was a first crease it would be more visible in the older pic as it is quite prevalent in my 2016 pics.
And how do you answer my other question: if in fact 10 feet of dirt was piled in here and the LIMP sits 10 feet below the ground, how on earth is the pavement visible at current grade in Jasper’s backyard about a block away with zero noticeable signs of grade changes?
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Identify the driver and owner of the automobile. Driver is Alicey Hurley Ramsey, owner is her husband, John R. Ramsey.
What year was this photo taken? Provide a rationale. 1908 license place.
Identify the manufacturer and model of the automobile. Maxwell Roadster.
What historical event was accomplished by the driver. Ramsey was one of two woman to enter the AAA Montauk Point Endurance Race in 1908 and in 1909 she used another Maxwell to go cross country as part of a promotion sponsored by Maxwell Automobiles.
Link the driver to Long Island and the manufacturer to the Vanderbilt Cup Races and Chrysler’s Chrysler:
Ramsey drove in the Moutauk Point endurance race as mentioned above. Maxwell entered racers in the 1906 American Elimination Trial, and the 1908, 1909, 1910 Sweepstakes associated with the Vanderbilt Cup Races. Walter Chrysler was hired to turn things around at Maxwell and eventually merged it with his new Chrysler Corporation in 1924/1925.
Lots of very interesting documentation on this week’s mystery photo!
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
A photo of Alice Huyler Ramsey the driver of the first transcontinental automobile trip by a woman driver. The car is a Maxwell ‘30’ with 1908 plates. The trip took place in 1909 when the car had later plates. On October 20th, 1960 she was designated “Woman Motorist of the Century” by the American Automobile Association.
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
Why can’t I stop obsessing over this?
Were you facing south when making the video clip, Dave? Reason I ask because if you were facing south, then the sign that’s placarded would be on the east wall ( going by the older photo facing south that highlights the sign ). You stated that the east side was more hidden with greenery, etc. Maybe the sign is still there, just blocked by the growth?
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Testing this would be easy, a single shovel and another visit to the Ruins. If today’s walls are already nearly 3 feet in height, then just a few more inches down should reveal the second crease from the top (the larger one). Is the west wall on private property today? As per Hector, a group trip soon is in order!
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Identify the driver and owner of the automobile.
Alice Huyler Ramsey
What year was this photo taken? Provide a rationale.
1908 is on the license plate
Identify the manufacturer and model of the automobile.
1908 Maxwell Touring car
What historical event was accomplished by the driver.
Ramsey was the first woman to drive a car across the United States, a journey she and three other female passengers completed in 59 days when they arrived in San Francisco after departing from Manhattan, New York.
Link the driver to Long Island and the manufacturer to the Vanderbilt Cup Races and Chrysler’s Chrysler.
In September 1908 she drove one of the three Maxwells which were entered in that year’s American Automobile Association’s (AAA) Montauk Point endurance race, being one of only two women to participate. Maxwells also raced in Vanderbilt Cup Sweepstake races from 1906-1910. Maxwell-Briscoe was absorbed by Chrysler in 1926.
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
Darn it! I wanted to watch your video clip again, Dave. It became some kind of word jumble somehow.
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Maxwell was the basis for the Chrysler line as Walter P was hired by Maxwell to run the company and pull it up from hard times.
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
That is Alice Ramsey and her 1909 Maxwell (model H or Q) during her cross country trip NY to CA, in 1909.
The run was duplicated in 2009 in a car owned by Richard Anderson from the state of Washington and driven by his daughter.
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
Frank, your attention to detail is superb. I see what you’re saying about that bridge sign on the cap. That would be cool if this were the spot of that sign (would be really cool if that sign were still there!) but I don’t think so. Again on the old pics that space from the top of the abutment to the crease is MUCH larger then what is on that wall in the video. I can’t get beyond that. I wish we had more old pics of that space showing the walls in more detail. I’m sure there was a 45 degree slope the end of the wall.
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Upon further review, based on the NJ license plate, Alice Ramsey is probably standing in front of her own Maxwell Roadster that was purchased for her by her husband. The car in the left background is probably the Maxwell she drove during her cross-country trip. Looks like her three passengers are arguing over who is “claiming shotgun”.
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
I’m open to the wall theory, Dave. Those walls look fairly long ( total of 4 walls). Maybe what’s exposed is the south walls? If this is the case, then the abutments would’ve been demolished and then a whole lot of ground leveling was done. Can’t tell from the older photos if the walls angle downwards at their ends.
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Hi Howard,
It’s 22 year old Alice Huyler Ramsey with her 1909 Maxwell DA. She was the first woman to drive across the US in 1909 and be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2000.
A quote from wikipedia: “In September 1908 she drove one of the three Maxwells which were entered in that year’s American Automobile Association’s (AAA) Montauk Point endurance race, being one of only two women to participate.”
From americanautohistory.com:
“The story of the Maxwell car—which 20 years after its inception became the sensational Chrysler—is one of determination, constant endeavor and well-earned success.”
There’s a photo of the Maxwell garage during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup races on Long Island, New York.
From https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora:182257:
“View of Maxwell garage during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup races on Long Island, New York. Painted on side of front-gabled wooden-frame building: “The Maxwell, the car for all the family, perfectly simple, simply perfect.” Handwritten on back: “Elimination. Races and racing—Vanderbilt Cup races, 1906.”
http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=129382
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Huyler_Ramsey
http://www.americanautohistory.com/Marques/Marque730.htm
https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora:182257
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
It’s Alice Ramsey with her 1909 Maxwell four-cylinder, 30hp Model DA, during her historic cross country drive, the first accomplished by a female driver. The Maxwell-Briscoe Company provided her with the car in an all-expense paid trip, based on her prowess in a 242-mile endurance run from Brooklyn to Montauk in what I believe was the “Land’s End to Land’s End” Economy Run of 1908, sponsored by the Long Island Automobile Club, held on February 25th. (It was an annual, mid-winter event, so perhaps Ramsey piloted a car in the 1909 run).
Walter P. Chrysler took over the ailing Maxwell company, improved its last models and used it for the basis of what would become the Chrysler Corporation.
Maxwell was on a roll in those days, and in 1911 would sweep the Glidden Tour awards for team and individual trophies, as seen in this photo of the Maxwell team cars and Governor Hoke Smith’s Maxwell, who won the Glidden and Anderson Trophies, respectively. Taken in front of Maxwell’s showrooms in NYC, note the bas-relief circa-1909 Maxwell front clips over the building’s twin entrances; it is provided courtesy of the Automotive Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Enjoyed this one a lot Howard!
Tom Gibson
From Mystery Foto #1 Solved:Alice Huyler Ramsey & Her Maxwell Prior to Her 1909 Transcontinental Journey
Thanks Dave. Yes, I know the “vine” people. I’ll let you and the others haggle over if they are abutments or a wall or whatever, but one thing is for sure, they are something! Hope you and Sam are doing fine!
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
My guess the roadway is still buried under there, after some ~90 years, and it’ll take some ~10 feet of shoveling to reach the LIMP road surface. It’s that deep. That’s my best estimate.
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure III: The "Mayan Ruins" in Garden City
Great presentation Howard, didn’t have a clue of all the history behind the scenes. There’s so much history involved that is quickly forgotten. Can’t find a better place to recount history. Please keep this up.
From New York Post, January 3, 1925: "Vanderbilt Recalls Days When 30 Miles An Hour Was Speed" Part I
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