Vanderbilt Cup Races

The path or road that continued N/O the Creedmoor Highway Bridge meandered thru quite a bit of forest. I read that they used to have the patients tend to the farm fields. Just being outdoors and doing some yard work can be quite therapeutic.

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #9 The Creedmoor Bridge in Queens Updated: 10/22/16

Oh, THAT’s who the others are!  Sure wish you’d give us better blow-ups of pix, especially the letters.  Sore eyeballs notwithstanding, the guest list is an impressive array of early car buffs.  “Alec Ullman”!  WOW; I’ve been trying to think of his name for years; he was a friend my Dad’‘s and wrote a history of Mercedes I’ve misplaced.  Now I can update my Mercedes pages and bibliography!  Thanks a million, Howard.  Bet that monster Mercedes was either Ullmann’s or Charlie Strich’s.  Sam, III

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

I had gone on Google search for 1923 Cadillac for photos, which came up with lots of photos of the car. Something new for me, great stuff Google.

From An Accident on the Motor Parkway in Garden City on July 8, 1931- Updated: 10/17/16

I’m a little surprised that this map does not show the proposed Creedmoor Parkway which was to run along the abandoned Central Railroad ROW from somewhere west of the still in operation Creedmoor Spur to the Flushing area. Some other maps from the 1920’s showed this as part of the grand plan to expand arterial highway construction. For some reason all this old highway/railroad/subway/trolley history in East Queens is fascinating to me,e.g.,your recent Union Tpke. underpass discovery. Keep up the good investigative work and thank you for making my neighborhood (Queens Village) more interesting.

From 1925 Long Island Map of Queens Traffic Arteries & Proposed Highways and Parkways in Nassau & Suffolk

I havn’t been in this area for several years, now. It looks like the housing complex is basically at the N/W corner of Ruland/Maxess Rd? I remember a bit of farmland at this locale ( And ocassionally meeting up with a old timer/tractor tilling the soil ) It’s good that the workers filled up behind the north embankment. The dirt will harden over time, and provide stability. Good job with the updated photos , Art.

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

I agree with Walt that the car in that crash is a Cadillac listed in my standard catalog of American Cars that it to be from 1922-23? period, base on the photo of the wreck, the right fender lines, the headlights, though the horn was to be under the hood? It’s listed as a 4dr Touring 7p.

From An Accident on the Motor Parkway in Garden City on July 8, 1931- Updated: 10/17/16

Great stuff Dave Russo and George Zink for exposing this gem. There was no access point for the midway wooden staircase on Union Tpke’s north sidewalk. I checked. Most likely it was sealed off soon after construction, as stated in the construction diagram. Its entry sliding door along with two others must still exist within the underpass.

From The Union Turnpike/Long Island Motor Parkway Pedestrian Underpass

Another one I didn’t have too much time for. Other than my guess of this being a possible political fundraiser of some sort at NY Gov.Thomas Dewey’s Dapplemere in Pawling, I didn’t discover much on this one. Since I spotted a couple of Jeeps in the background, maybe this was for his 1944 Presidential campaign.

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

Very tough series of photos this week and I ran out of time. However, I’ve got a few guesses: photo C could be Walter Hagen; photo D could be Mel Allen. Since photo F has the Dewey sign, I’m thinking the host of the party was NY Governor Thomas Dewey at his farm in Pawling, NY on the occasion of having just won the Republican Party’s nomination for President around June, 1948.

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

This post definitely got the explorer bulb burning. I had to go this weekend and check it out! Great find. And if there were any remaining “unknown” or “mystery” element regarding the inside of this tunnel I would definitely have gotten in there but I see what it is, it’s a great find but the pic you see over the door looking in….that is exactly what is on the other side so it’s just a straight / narrow / concrete run from one side to the other.

It’s great that we have this venue to share our discoveries and fuel the exploration passions.

From The Union Turnpike/Long Island Motor Parkway Pedestrian Underpass

F. James Melton, Robert Montgomery, Eddie Rickenbacker, Howard Morgan’s, Neil McElroy, Gene Tunney, Lowell Thomas in 1948

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

I wasn’t going to comment, although I think that guest “A” is Eddie Rickenbacker, but it just occurred to me that it’s 40 miles from Boston Corners to Pawling!  Can you even IMAGINE driving the Bête Noir from Roslyn out to Yaphank just for a party?  No trailering for Peter, not back then!  I recognize a few others, like the boxer, but can’t name them.  Mightn’t the writer, “B”, be a famous broadcaster, like Lowell Thomas?  The “Dewey wins!” headline was on 03 Nov 1948 so it was probably a bit earlier.  AHA; that’s tenor Jimmy Melton driving; he had a nice car museum up around Pittsfield or thereabouts (later moved to Florida)!  Sam, III

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

This was a tough one Howard. As for the first photo (A) we have Eddie Rickenbacker riding with Peter Helck. Rickenbacker was a pilot and a Vanderbilt cup driver too. Photo B Shows broadcaster Lowell Thomas. Don’t know the characters in the other three photos. As for the group shot ... it includes Rickenbacker, Lowell Thomas and actor, Robert Mongomery.
I am guessing when I say that Robert Montgomery was the host of the Pawling party. Hope I got some of this right.

From Mystery Fotos #42 Solved: A 1948 Picnic at Lowell Thomas' Home in Pawling, New York

You went to town,and then some;Dave Russo! I’m sure you would’ve went into the tunnel if possible. There must be some airflow thru the tunnel, air quality should’nt be an issue.

From The Union Turnpike/Long Island Motor Parkway Pedestrian Underpass

Howard,
Your Mustang is fantastic.  I can’t wait to see it in the “flesh.”  I wonder how it would have sold if Ford decided to produce it.  Oh well, we’ll never know and you’ll get to enjoy it all the more.
Rog

From 99.1 PLR Radio: AJ's Car of the Day 1963 Ford Mustang III Concept Show Car

The bend towards the south in the NSP just west of Glen Cove Road is known as “Objectors’ Bend” because nearby estate owners objected to this 1925 routing, believing that it would ruin their property values. Robert Moses was eventually forced to build the parkway parallel to the Motor Parkway to Carle Place and then take a more middle route for his “northern” parkway in the segment to the Wantagh State Parkway that Howard has well documented in aerial photos.  Ironically, less than a decade later, many of the same objectors lobbied for a spur through their area as this NSP segment was being built as they came to realize how the new parkway had been enhancing property values elsewhere. Moses snubbed them, happily, according to some reports. For fans of Oheka Castle, note that the 1925 routing would most likely have led to its early demise.

From 1925 Long Island Map of Queens Traffic Arteries & Proposed Highways and Parkways in Nassau & Suffolk

Are the police Nassau County, Garden City or Roosevelt Field police ?

From An Accident on the Motor Parkway in Garden City on July 8, 1931- Updated: 10/17/16

From Jerry Mintz

Very interesting that at first the proposed Northern State did not bypass Old Westbury!

From 1925 Long Island Map of Queens Traffic Arteries & Proposed Highways and Parkways in Nassau & Suffolk

The car is a Cadillac, and at least 6 or more years old at the time the photo was taken judging by the shape of the radiator shell. Noting how many people were in the car when the accident happened, they either squeezed in a 5 passenger phaeton or most likely it was a 7 passenger tourer. Hard to determine this from the mashed metal . Only two people could fit comfortably in the front seat (and that depended upon the girth of the occupants) as the bodies on the cars were narrow - I own a Packard touring car from 1930 and can state that as fact! The narrow tires and primitive breaking system of the Cadillac of that era would all contribute to the accident along with the total weight of the passengers. If the road surface was even a little damp and the car was going to fast and driver not paying attention it could have all contributed to the situation.

From An Accident on the Motor Parkway in Garden City on July 8, 1931- Updated: 10/17/16

C’mon, Howard; this isn’t like you.  The photo didn’t appear from thin air.  Provenance, please.  Sam, III
___________________________________

From Howard Kroplick I

Purchased last week from one of my favorite photo pickers. Original source was Acme Newspictures, Inc of New York City.

From An Accident on the Motor Parkway in Garden City on July 8, 1931- Updated: 10/17/16