Vanderbilt Cup Races

We are looking north along the LIMP in Fresh Meadows between Union Turnpike and Nassau Boulevard, just slightly west of today’s Francis Lewis Blvd. In the center is the LIMP bridge over 73rd Avenue. What appears to be an entrance ramp was, in fact, a temporary entrance to the LIMP built around 1927 -1928 during constuction and widening of Nassau Blvd. (a few hunndred yards north) where the real entrance to the LIMP was located.  This temporary entrance looks fairly new so I’ll guess the date as 1928.

From Mystery Friday Foto #54 Solved: A Challenging Aerial in Fresh Meadows

I will be there with my dad and two brothers.

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Looking east where the LIMP crosses over Route 107 in the center of the picture.  The “exit” ramp on the left side of the LIMP was put there for the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races to shorten the course from the longer 1908 course.  Racers traveling east would now turn northbound onto Route 107 instead of continuing on towards “dead man’s curve” in Bethpage.  My only hesitation to be sure here is the absence of the Massapequa Lodge which should be on the north side of the LIMP just below the ersatz exit.  I don’t know why we can’t see that.  So I could be wrong altogether about the whole thing.

From Mystery Friday Foto #54 Solved: A Challenging Aerial in Fresh Meadows

One of my favorites, I believe this photo is a cropped version—the uncropped photo is really great. It’s the intersection of the north-south LIMP and the east-west Black Stump Road (aka 73rd Avenue) in Fresh Meadows. Overpass at 73rd Avenue is the only “Motor Parkway structure” in the photo. Looking north, just ahead is the Fresh Meadow Country Club, the North Hempstead Turnpike overpass and the Parkway terminus at Nassau (Horace Harding) Boulevard. The “entrance ramp” is kind of a mystery to me, but Sam Berliner once suspected it was left over from construction crews working on this last extension in 1926. The original photo had the year at 1938, but I suspect it might be earlier.

From Mystery Friday Foto #54 Solved: A Challenging Aerial in Fresh Meadows

Thanks Greg, I’ll look to see if there’s any newspapers that carried the Hatlo cartoon suggested by your grandfather.  You never know!  What was your grandfather’s name?

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 'Case Super Special Speedster'

Art,
That was how Jimmy Hatlo thanked the person who submitted the idea for the cartoon. Hatlo was especially popular in the 1940’s and 50’s. I only know this because my Grandfather submitted a story to Hatlo in the late 40’s about how he was a respected engineer at Sperry on Long Island, but at home his family didn’t even think he could hang a picture. My mother still has the framed original Hatlo artwork for the papers that Hatlo would also send back to the submitter as a souvenir of being printed in the newspaper.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 'Case Super Special Speedster'

David - some more including a 1950 aerial comparison, courtesy of the late Sam Berliner III.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

Hi David, it is true that the power lines follow the old RoW most of the time. Below are Rt 135 construction plans, including position of the Motor Pkwy, courtesy Art Kleiner.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

I thought along this particular stretch the old right of way of the former LIMP was under the power lines that run parallel to the 135 on the west side of the expressway. And when the power lines curve to the east over the expressway that’s where the LIMP would’ve curved to where Plainview rd used to be.  Is that not accurate?

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

I have to increase it to 4 people instead of 2

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

I have to increase it to 4 people instead of 2

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

I will attend the Open House Nov 2.
Total 3

From Update: Saturday, November 1, 2025: The Duesenberg Open House at the Waterfront at Roslyn Garage

Online map

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

Bethpage Park, formerly Central Park, looking north from atop the Powell Ave bridge. The Motor Pkwy here is now occupied by the southbound lane of the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expwy, Rt 135. The Plainview Rd highway bridge can be seen in the distance just after Motor Pkwy’s right turn into the park. The 1908 Motor Pkwy Sweepstakes Race and the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race had cars roaring down this stretch.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

Very interesting life of the car’s owner, Russ Case.  Lots written about him, especially his music career.  I found a 1962 newspaper cartoon by American cartoonist Jimmy Hatlo depicting an auto race in which Hatlo thanks Russ Case.  I’m not sure of the connection except that in Hatlo’s cartoon series, “They’ll Do it Every Time”, thanks were often given to I’m presumably someone related to the cartoon.

From Mystery Friday Foto #52 Solved: The 'Case Super Special Speedster'

Where was this stretch of the Parkway?
Bethpage north of dead man’s curve

Exact location and orientation of the photographer
Atop the Powell Avenue Highway Bridge Underpass

Any Motor Parkway structures in the photo
The Plainview Road Highway Bridge Underpass

What 2 races used this portion of the Parkway?
From the published (here) maps these would 1908 and 1909 or 1910
(unclear, as both races link to the same map).

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

We are looking north in Central Park (today’s Bethpage). Since the photographer appears to be slighly elevated, I believe he is on top of the Powell Avenue bridge with the Plainview Road bridge in the distance, right of center, just east of the curve. The two races that used this section of the LIMP were the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race and the 1908 Motor Parkway Sweepstakes.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

That looks like the stretch of parkway along the north side of Col. Wetmueller’s estate on the border of Nassau and Suffolk County. Wetmueller, like many of that class at he time, had a thoroughbred horse stable that produced the Sire of the 1911 Kentucky Derby winner (Meridian). He was a partner with Beula Lousie Henry who invented the vacuum ice cream maker and a high -speed sewing machine that required little pumping. I believe he was also a member of the South side Sportsman’s Club which later became Connetquot State Park, winning the prize for the largest Trout caught in the 1912 fish-fry.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage

The Sept. 1925 airplane accident struck a chord with me as I was fortunate enough to be friends with Lou Meyers back in the early 1980’s when I worked at the Cradle of Aviation Museum as the Assistant Curator. Lou was a valued volunteer with his wealth of L.I. aviation background.  Lou had been a sky writer way back, and back in 1929 he sold his 1918 Thomas Morse Scout S4C pursuit plane to Paul Kotze who later donated it to Nassau County’s Cradle of Aviation Museum. The attached photo shows Lou Meyers (on the right) laughing with Carl “Slim” Hennicke, founder of the L.I. Early Fliers Club, airplane mechanic, wing-walker and a parachutist back in the 1920’s. They are standing in front of Charles Lindbergh’s Curtiss JN-4 Jenny at the Cradle of Aviation Museum circa 1980.

From Kleiner's Korner: News of The Motor Parkway from September, 1925

Photographer stands atop the Powell’s Avenue Bridge.  Looking North.  We see the LIMP turn east and pass under the Plainview Rd LIMP bridge.  If you redid this picture today, you would be on the Powell’s Avenue bridge over Rt 135 looking north.  We know this picture is old.  Because of the wood poles used to fence in the parkway.  They would eventually be replaced by cement posts.

From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: A Stretch of the Motor Parkway in Bethpage