Vanderbilt Cup Races

Indeed great photos!

From The Bethpage Challenge Part II: Building the Central Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Agree and thanks!

From Old Bethpage Restoration Motor Parkway Bridge to Receive a Cleaning

Howard, Art, Pat,and Brian (and so many others); thank you all so much for your kind words.  It’s been great fun and I’ve met and worked with great people.  It is so very rewarding to see the ongoing progress; keep it going!  Blame it all on Bob Miller, who I’ve known since around 1960; he inveigled me into attending an early lecture he was giving on some old road called the Motor Parkway.  What is NOT fun, though, is painstakingly restoring each of my 485+ web pages, although I’ve made some big advances here and there.  Of the ~50 LIMP pages, 10 are done and I’ll speed things up.  Better yet, I found an e-trove of old pix (including the first set in the tangle at BSP!) and think I can now retrieve the long-lost really old ones.  So, please bear with me; we’ll get there.  Sam, III

From Sad News: The Passing of Sam Berliner III

As we look at Clarence Mackay in the bosom of the eastern elite establishment, it’s interesting to remember that his father, John, an Irish Catholic immigrant with a French wife, were shunned.  Yet when Clarence’s daughter Ellin wanted to marry a Russian Jewish immigrant Clarence hired private detectives and reportedly said, “Over my dead body.” He lived, she eloped: with Irving Berlin.

(My grandparents lived in a house without plumbing by the swamps immediately below Mackay’s estate, English immigrants.  My grandfather often served as Mackay’s photographer for special events.  My aunts and my mother wore clothes Ellin outgrew.)

From Six Degrees of Willie K: The Mackay Horse Statue and Saturday's Cocktail Party

From Penny:

Happy Holidays Howard and thanks for all the time, energy and dedication you have put into this web site .

From The Bethpage Challenge Part IV: A Few More Gems From Deadman's Curve

From Lou K:

Thank you for the excellent documentative and jam packed with exciting historical informative weekly emails. The amount of time it must take you to assemble this information must be enormous. I enjoy looking through it all . I just had to write you and thank you for the enjoyment I get from seeing it all.

From The Bethpage Challenge Part IV: A Few More Gems From Deadman's Curve

From Tyrpaul:
“I remember the museum, my Uncle Lou had 2 homes out there and we would visit the museum when ever we were out there. Austin gave us a ride in a fire engine he had. Good times then, sorry it is gone. “

From What was the Long Island Automotive Museum?

wow…that is a rare photo of Joe Tracy & Al Poole, my grandfather.  I have never seen it before. He looks pretty young.  Wonder if he had a driver’s license.

Thanks for sending, Howard.  These are really quite remarkable.

From New Series- Rare Images #1: Vanderbilt Cup Race Drivers and Mechanicians

Nice to hear that the effort was made to preserve the bridge.  It is ironic to me that a group dedicated to a somewhat contrived historical preservation failed to see the value in preserving this genuine but more recent historical artifact. Kudos too to the Model A Club leadership for being ready to jump right in. Finally i’m curious to what kind of car’s “remains” are still under the bridge lo these last 35 years???

From Old Bethpage Restoration Motor Parkway Bridge to Receive a Cleaning

Hello Howard, I know where the 1908 Oldsmobile is and will do some digging for you.  Al W.

From A Research Challenge: The 1902 Curved Dash Oldsmobile on Austin Clark's Roof

Guess I should have finished the entire series as you mention the cemetery here again.

From The Bethpage Challenge Part IV: A Few More Gems From Deadman's Curve

Hi Howard,

In your DRIVERS category, I think you might wish to include the colorful Lewis Strang, who drove the ill-fated Renault in 1908.  Despite the poor showing on Long Island, due to mechanical difficulties in the Vanderboilt Cup Race and the Parkway Sweepstakes, he had a very interesting career, including winning at Indianapolis in 1909 and being the pole sitter at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.

A nice writeup can be found at http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/lewis-strang/

From New Series- Rare Images #1: Vanderbilt Cup Race Drivers and Mechanicians

Howard, great pics once again.  The cemetery you mention in the last pic is still there, on the west side of the access road to the current Tennis Club that sits just north of the railroad and Central Avenue, at the point where the bridge crossed over.  I have some pics and commentary on the computer somewhere - when found, I’ll e-mail to you.

From The Bethpage Challenge Part II: Building the Central Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Howard:  Another terrific find.  Thanks again for sharing with us.  Hope all is well with you.
Happy Holidays,
Tom

From New Series- Rare Images #1: Vanderbilt Cup Race Drivers and Mechanicians

Hi Joe:

Thanks for the Motor Parkway story!

Howard

From The Bethpage Challenge Part II: Building the Central Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Awesome Job Howard.  Thank you so much for all your work.  These pictures are priceless. 

Back in 1990 or so I knew a guy who worked for the MTA Transportation Planning Department.  He had many old hand written surveys.  He had one from the exact spot where the LIRR crossed.  A small arrow pointed to the bridge.  It said, “Removed, 1950.” 

Your fan,
Joe Oesterle

From The Bethpage Challenge Part II: Building the Central Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Hi Howard. After viewing the PDF maps of the LIMP, I guess the left turn into Horace Harding Blvd on the Fresh Meadows,Queens PDF is the ROW that was the Central RR. I went to Arrts Archives to check out that area. When the LIMP was built in that location, the tracks were gone; but the path existed (between Peck and Underhill Ave.) I’d like to get a hold of old hagstroms,etc. Guess I’ll look on ebay or something. Your doing nice work here, Howard.

Sincerely,

Brian D McCarthy

From A Map of the Long Island Motor Parkway & Queens Historical Sites

Awesome shot of the Black Beast in speed blur. Glad to know she’s here at home where she belongs.

From Images of the Six Vanderbilt Cup Race Finishes

And Bill’s picture of the railroad I believe is facing NE not NW

From Aerial Views of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

Hi Howard
I always thought there was only ONE dead mans curve that was located south of what is pictured here. My recollection was that deadmans curve was running just north of the Central RR which fragments of it still exists today. I would never have been able to route the exact LIMP ROW (although I’ve tried) going north towards bethpage park (central park) without these aerials. This is awesome!! Keep it up!

From Aerial Views of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage