Vanderbilt Cup Races

I grew up in Merrick, and from our house we could hear the stock cars. They raced at Freeport every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. Occasionally we would attend the races. I remember seeing stock cars, 3/4 midgets, and the “Crasheroo” demolition derby. It was a lot of fun!

I live in West Islip now, and am often in Bay Shore. Newins Ford is still in business, at the same location!

From InstaGRAM Report: Racing Programs of Freeport and Islip Speedways

A great article to start off the new year. Love these looks back into Long Island’s racing history. I remember going to Square Speed Shop with my Dad to get auto parts.

From InstaGRAM Report: Racing Programs of Freeport and Islip Speedways

Greg, A difference between the Mineola and the Ronkonkoma lodges is that the Ronkonkoma lodge straddled the Parkway while the Mineola lodge did not.

From Mystery Friday Foto #62 Solved: The Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge

A happy and healthy New Year to all!

From Mystery Friday Foto #62 Solved: The Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge

A favorite Motor Parkway bridge photo carrying Old Country Rd above in Mineola, near the Mineola toll booth before the lodge construction. Photo is looking north

From Mystery Friday Foto #62 Solved: The Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge

From Al Velocci - thanks Al.  I’m copying your comment that you put on my latest Motor Parkway employee post here as it pertains to W.M. Hendrick. 

“Art, Found a payroll entry for Wallace Hendrick dated Aug, 19, 1910. Employed as a “transitman” and paid $95.00 per month, paid bi-monthly.”

From Kleiner's Korner: Two construction engineers and a "monkey" who added their talents to the Motor Parkway

Art, Please try again, tried your number, told not available.

From Kleiner's Korner: Two Family Members Building the Motor Parkway

Fantastic Al!  Appreciate you going the extra step to add more flavor to my posts.

From Kleiner's Korner: Two Family Members Building the Motor Parkway

Art, Found a payroll entry for W.H. Hendrick dated Aug, 19, 1910. Employed as a “transitman” and paid $95.00 per month, paid bi-monthly.

From Kleiner's Korner: Two Family Members Building the Motor Parkway

The Jericho Turnpike Highway Bridge
Looking north
Built in 1910

From Mystery Friday Foto #62 Solved: The Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge

Another “employee” to look at Al!  Thanks.
Brian - thanks for being my boots on the ground!  Wonder if the historical society has info. on the Morrissey family. 

From Kleiner's Korner: Two Family Members Building the Motor Parkway

Thanks to everyone who participated in this multi-year search.  It was a rewarding experience based on the expertise of so many involved.  We can all share a certain sense of satisfaction in knowing the identity of the ‘Mystery Road’ has now been definitively identified!

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

Special thanks to Zachary Hudson who beat me to the punch.  I had asked him if he could verify the name of the ‘Mystery Road’ - and he did!  I had planned on adding a detailed update confirming the name of the ‘Mystery Road’ as Ohio Avenue.

Since Zachary located confirmation from the map at the National Archives at the University of Maryland (my alma mater after NCC), to prove a point, I took a hand -held GPS unit with me on my last trip to Long Island, carefully noting the exact coordinates of all major roads still in existence throughout Mitchel Field.

In every instance, the coordinates lined up perfectly with those roads indicated on the map above.  Most fascinating to me was to see how Ohio Avenue parallelled both Miller and Davis Avenues and bisected the spot on Hospital Road where the Hospital would later be built, a building I worked in the basement of at 90.3 WHPC.

But most fascinating of all was following the course of Ohio Avenue Eastward across what would one day become the Parade Grounds, ultimately going right down where the front sidewalk would one day be of the Commanding Officer’s Quarters at 363 Rice Circle, the very house I grew up in when my father was President of NCC in 1965- 1979, then dead-ended at East Avenue on the border of the Polo Grounds.

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

I can’t believe that I missed that Birdcage when I was there! And I sure knew what they looked like having been to Sebring a few months earlier. I did take a few photos. Having cut my teeth on Lime Rock and Thompson, the track sort of left me cold.

From InstaGRAM Report: Unseen racing photos from the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup at Roosevelt Raceway

As always, great stuff Art. The article about the construction of the Ronkonkoma Library. That building on Hawkins Ave has been The Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society, which I’ll visit again soon. Today’s location of the library is off of Holbrook Rd, Lake Ronkonkoma {Sachem Library}

I’ll look into the Oak St location in Patchogue

From Kleiner's Korner: Two Family Members Building the Motor Parkway

Art, Great article.  With regard to Wheeler and Morrissey, neither appear in the Parkway payroll records of that time frame. Note in that newspaper article they are listed as working “on” the Parkway, not “for” the Parkway. Not related, but did notice for the first time an unusual job description that the Parkway employed a “poster boy” named H. J. Wales at a unidentified R.R. Crossing for which he was paid four dollars for a two week period. Guessing he distributed flyers on the Parkway and the Petit Trianon.

From Kleiner's Korner: Two Family Members Building the Motor Parkway

1910 Garden City Bridge

From Mystery Friday Foto #62 Solved: The Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge

For those of you wondering, the name of that East-West road that once ran through the middle of Mitchel Field was called Ohio Avenue. Attached is a utility map I scanned at National Archives. It has all of the road names as well as building functions used prior to reconstruction.

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

I initially thought it was Jericho Turnpike in Mineola/Carle Place facing north; I was familiar w/the area because my law office was near Sup/Nassau for many years. But on second thought, I realized that I must be wrong because the Parkway right of way was underneath Jericho Tpke. So, I gave up. I look forward to reading in next week’s issue to learn where this was.

From Mystery Friday Foto #62 Solved: The Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge

Old Courthouse bridge looking west 1908????

From Mystery Friday Foto #62 Solved: The Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge