Vanderbilt Cup Races

I have to make a correction: the 1907 roadster is on the two car photo (with the curved dash Oldsmobile), the 1906 roadster is on the single car photo! In the past we called that the printer’s devil ...

From Mystery Friday Foto #19 Solved: The 1907 Reunion of Oldsmobilists at the Empire City Track in Yonkers

If you search - David Bruce Brown - He had an exciting, but unfortunately short life as a race car driver.

From Mystery Friday Foto #19 Solved: The 1907 Reunion of Oldsmobilists at the Empire City Track in Yonkers

Believe that’s David in the single car image, too. He’s standing ( face is literally behind the steering wheel ). This was the only part I could figure out ( that this man is in both images ) A big congratulations to Ariejan Bos!

From Mystery Friday Foto #19 Solved: The 1907 Reunion of Oldsmobilists at the Empire City Track in Yonkers

Howard, The photos were taken in June 1905 at the Morris Park Racecourse which was located in the Bronx. The race was held on June 10 that year. The drivers were Louis Chevrolet in the Fiat on the left and Dan Wurgis in the Reo. The four autos entered in the race were the Fiat ( which won the race), followed by the Reo, a Decauville driven by Guy Vaughn and a Renault driven by C. J. S. Miller.

From Mystery Friday Foto #19 Solved: The 1907 Reunion of Oldsmobilists at the Empire City Track in Yonkers

Would this have been considered a hands-free distraction while driving?

From Kleiner's Korner: Petting Parties on the Motor Parkway

Wonderful, so happy it is now at home on long island. Love the color!

From Mystery Friday Foto #18 Solved: The1948 Hudson Pick-Up Truck Prototype

You deserved the honor to sign the poster Howard. It’s very generous of you to share your collection with the public. I’m sure the Chrysler will be equally appreciated by the museum visitors. These are both historic vehicles.

From Savoy Automobile Museum says goodbye to Tucker 1044 and welcomes Chrysler's Chrysler

Frank, And here’s the long demolished Milburn or Baldwin Pumping Station, designed by well-known architect Henry H. Richardson in the Romanesque style, also at one time owned by Nassau County, until deemed surplus property.  Notice the LIRR tracks in the foreground, between the Pumping Station and Gate House, prior to the elevation projects of the mid-20th century.  This was a great vaulted building in red sandstone and terra cotta work.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

Frank Femenias, If you have an interest in Nassau’s Water Supply, I would suggest reading the late Richard A. Winsche’s article “When Nassau Supplied Brooklyn’s Water”, published in “Nassau County: From Rural Hinterland to Suburban Metropolis”, ed. Joann P. Krieg & Natalie A. Naylor, Empire State Books, 2000.  Richard had served as Nassau Co. Museum (NCM) System’s Historian for nearly 3 decades.  In addition, back in 1990 a report was created by the NCM on the “Brooklyn Water Supply Buildings in Nassau County Preserves” with the goal of preserving these historic structures.  Unfortunately, economic downturns and staff layoffs prevented this from happening.  Actually, N.Y.C. still used Nassau Co. wells as late as the mid-1950’s. although parts of the watershed properties had been transferred to the LISPC in 1925.  Nassau Co. purchased its parts in 1981 & 1986.  In 1990 there were still one Gate House, 3 Pumping Stations, and 2 Gaging Stations under NC control, located at Massapequa Preserve, Wantagh Preserve, Merioke Preserve, and Roosevelt South Preserve.  Other ones still exist on the north and south sides of Sunrise Highway, hidden away.  Here’s a few postcards from my collection of the reservoir and Gate House at Bellmore (looking west with LIRR on left), and Wantagh (so I’ve been told Wantagh, where the Parkway now runs) or possibly also Bellmore looking east with LIRR on right.  These were ornate structures built in the 1890’s - notice the ornate cast-iron bridge, and the stone faced reservoir walls, typical of all the waterworks properties.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

Art, It appears that the revised route of the Motor Parkway at Stewart Ave. is quite substantial. The drawing with the three story frame house has the new route more than 100 feet north of the original ROW.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

Amazing facts Gary! I ride my bike often through the preserve and never connected the conduit and pumping station this far east into Massapequa. Thank you for clarifying.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

I found the web address for the interviewed fireman, actually one of several Google Podcasts. Andy Wittman - As a 18 yr old firefighter in 1952, he received severe burns. He persevered and didn’t mind sharing his memories of growing up in Brentwood. I grew up in Brentwood, too.

https:/sites.google.com/site/localhistorydepartment/Home/classroom-visits

From Kleiner's Korner: The Danger of Fire Along the Motor Parkway

Great post Art! I could understand fires developing in the arid SW but never suspected them in the NE, likely all caused by negligence. Obtaining running water in early 20th century was paramount for the city in many ways

From Kleiner's Korner: The Danger of Fire Along the Motor Parkway

Neat article, Greg.  Here’s another take on the automobile’s impact on who they shared the road with back in Willie K.‘s days.  Wonder how much a cow would have fetched!  From the Motor World of July, 1902.

From Greg O's Garage; A bit of humor at Willie K's expense from the Horseless Age in 1901

Art, It was such a concern to the Parkway that the toll receipts contained a condition that fires were not permitted in the forested areas of the Parkway. Regarding reporting fires along the Parkway, I’m assuming that motorists told the toll collectors of fires in the vicinity . All the lodges had phones so it was an easy matter to report the fires to the proper authorities. If they didn’t have tank trucks, they used shovels to pound the fires out and if that didn’t work…. shovel dirt on to the fires…no ?

From Kleiner's Korner: The Danger of Fire Along the Motor Parkway

I listened to an interview of a former Brentwood Firefighter a while back, think the interview was done by Brentwood Public Library. The Bucket Brigade System was used quite a bit in the early days of fire fighting, but a water source was needed obviously. Wells, Cisterns, Farm nearby. He recalls using a cesspool or drywell too. Shoveling dirt to smother flames. Fire Fighting is exhausting, back then even harder. Maybe Aircraft was utilized

There were Fire Watch Towers back then, to at least get an idea where and how large the Fire was. Guess some buildings had phone service. If there wasn’t a siren, possible that church bells would be a good alarm system.

Below is a screenshot from Wikipedia. The Roman Marcus Crassus created his own Fire Brigade. More so for increasing his wealth.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Danger of Fire Along the Motor Parkway

Two pictures of what Gary is referring.  Massapequa (Sunrise Highway) and Wantagh (Twin Lakes).  I had taken pictures of the structures but can’t find them anymore.  But I think you get the idea.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

Frank Femenias, Actually the pumping stations, gaging buildings, and much of the “Brooklyn Waterworks” infrastructure still exist out through Massapequa, running along Sunrise Highway, although overgrown in many areas.  Some is owned by Nassau County, some by the Town of Hempstead, and some of the gaging stations are still maintained by the USGS.  For example, the TOH Twin Lakes Preserve still contains some of these structures.  The building at the entrance to Nassau County’s Massapequa Preserve still retains the inscription “City of New York / Massapequa No. 1 Pumping Sta.”

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

Great info Al!

I was unaware that Brooklyn’s water source stretched as far east to Freeport. The pumping stations along the Conduit have all been
removed

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

Frank, Re; Meadow Brook… The name of the creek was always East Meadow Creek and it’s southern terminus was the Freeport Canal. When the City of Brooklyn built the water conduit system in Nassau County, East Meadow Creek was tapped to supply 5,000,000 gallons per day to that end. Those bodies of water along the Meadowbrook Parkway are part of the East Meadow Creek.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow