Vanderbilt Cup Races

A part of Long Island history I’d never heard of before!

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

A truly cringe worthy photo collection!  😊

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Thanks Greg, and for your work with the old photographs! It’s great that these deeply-buried photos of the old Motor Parkway are increasingly becoming available for everyone now to view, after more than a century hidden in the vaults. Much thanks to Bill Cruickshank, descendant of the Meadow Brook lodge, for the family photo collection contributions.

Photo below:
The McCamish family at the Meadow Brook lodge 1936/1937
Left to right:, Wallace, Pernelle, Otto and Doris.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg O.  The last photo, the one with the “exit only” sign, could that be a temporary exit off the Parkway used by west bound motorists during the 1936/1937 Vanderbilt Cup Races ?

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg O,  Regarding the photo with the caption on the back saying the “car over turns on Motor Parkway in Garden City”. That could be a little confusing today.  Note that there is no concrete extension of the roadway which was laid down west of Merrick Ave. in that area in 1931.  My take ? ....the photo was on taken just east of Merrick Ave.  and we are looking north east with the fairway of the 17th hole of Red Couse abutting the Parkway ROW.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Dear Robert, If you are interested in identification of these cars and if you want to share these photos on this website, it’s always a pleasure to be of help. Of course you’re also welcome to send them directly to my mail address (Howard will know this).

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Thanks for the help with identifying the old autos. G’ma’s albums have a few other such images of cars from about the same time (1910-20), if anyone is interested. All the pix are digitized.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Yes, I’m laughing at your comment, Al. I hope dad was just playing and posing for he camera. I hope he didn’t hit the poor old “T”.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Beautiful painting! Proves that it’s easy to fix a Model T, all you need is a hammer.

From Mystery Foto #29 Solved: A 1910 Maxwell Model E Touring and a 1916 Overland Model 83 Touring from Professor Robert Kraft's Family Album

Frank- The original photo that Bill Cruickshank sent me has a slightly better resolution and a little easier to see Zinzi’s number 1 on the badge.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Arthur - Great rare details about your family on the parkway, and the police security details thereafter! Your information about the historic parkway is always appreciated.

It appears a single digit on the officer’s badge sitting on the bike. I can’t make out the number in the photo, could it be number 1, Zinzi’s badge? Would love to hear your comments.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Arthur-
The woman in the photo is Pernelle McCamish, wife of Otto McCamish. Her grandson, Bill Cruikshank sent the photo of his grandmother with your grandfather Tom Zinzi, to me from his family collection.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Im not sure of when the police force was dismantled but the officers started rotating shifts as guard duty and security at Eagles Nest around the clock after the Lindburg kidnapping and winters were spent in Florida at Fischers island. I came across letters my grandfather sent my grandmother while he was away. One year the whole family went and my mother and sister went to school in Miami compliments of Mr. Vanderbilt ( he didn’t want my grandfather to miss his family ). Nice boss
Also the photo above of the man and woman is not of my grandparents

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

I agree with Al the woody is a 1936 Ford. Because I have a 5 window coupe

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

In 1924 Tommy the cop was earning about $7.70 per hour today, and about $10.50 per hour in 1928. I believe he was allowed to live in the lodge rent-free with maintenance required including snow removal. With only two days off a month he seldom had any free time

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Greg O.    Yes,  Revenues had seriously declined by 1932. In 1929, the Parkway’s best year, revenues totaled some $290,000. In 1932 income had dropped more than 2/3 rds. to $90,000.  No, the Nassau Count Police did not patrol the Parkway at any time, but they were called when there were serious accidents, robberies, disturbances, etc. If there were fatalities, the Parkway was mandated to notify the Nassau County Police who would then take charge of the situation.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Al,
I guess we can assume the July 1933 wreck involving the police car was a Nassau County police vehicle if the Motor Parkway force was dismantled by that time.
Was the reason for dissolving the Parkway police force due to the declining revenue for the Parkway and, seemingly unlikely, but did the Nassau County force patrol the parkway at any time after 1932?

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Brian,  By 1928 Zinze was earning $190 per month.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Howard
Thanks for the memories
Although the accident was a tragedy, it is always great to see old photos of my grandfather (Tom Zinzi) at work.
Thanks again
Arthur Mauriello
P.S. Came across the deed signed by Vanderbilt for the Massapequa toll lodge

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500

Say Thomas Zinze worked 28 or 29 days per month ( with 2 or 3 days off per month ). 140 divided by 28 = 5. So $5 per 10 hr workday. Close to 100 yrs ago, but seems like he should’ve been paid better.

Remember reading somewhere on the site about Eric Ericson’s brother being on horseback with a shotgun keeping things in order on the parkway, must be Arvie.

From Greg O's Garage: Wrecks of The Long Island Motor Parkway including a racer practicing for the 1925 Indy 500