Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thanks, Art.  Bedford St. seemed unsure where to settle down, eh?  Moses’ NSP sure messed up this area of Westbury!  It was fun knowing I lived so close to a major part of the VCR course and following the development of its history on these blog posts.  Nothing beat living in Mineola, though, where I biked the LIMP RoW from Searingtown to Roslyn Road often and hiked all of it in Nassau, and working in Plainview and Farmingdale near the Maxess/Ruland Road segment and in Hauppauge only a block north of the RoW near Washington Avenue.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

Art, also interesting the road heading east from dead man’s curve towards Ronkonkoma, with an added toll lodge (extension to Conklin Av?). The course labels the LIMP north of dead man’s curve as a county road. The map also includes the Massapequa lodge, but leaves out the Bethpage lodge.

From The Bridges of the Vanderbilt Cup Races (1908-1910)

Here’s some more of the message that I could decipher - my additions are in caps & brackets:  “Dear Alf,  We arrived here at 9:00 am [A.M.] and [HAVE] to [HANG] around this depot until 3:00 this afternoon for our [TRAIN] to Des Moines. Get there at 8:40 [should read 8:45] tonight. Lonely (?) Not ? ?  Daisy”

From Kleiner's Korner: Humorous Postcards from the Helck Family Collection

From Art Kleiner:
I recently came across this map from Automobile Topics, September 17, 1910 showing the course but noting the bridges that went over or under the Parkway and locations of telephones used to call in the positions of the racers.  I also find interesting the road directly beneath the grandstand.

From The Bridges of the Vanderbilt Cup Races (1908-1910)

From Art Kleiner:
Two more, pre-Northern State Parkway.  1914 and 1927, both Belcher-Hyde.

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

Sam - two more maps of the area - 1939 Dolph & Stewart and 1946 Hagstrom.  Windsor Street is named Bedford on both maps.

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

I read that Peter Helck sketched advertising posters for companies, businesses.

I’m trying to make out Daisy’s note to Al. Maybe others can see the script words I can’t:

Dear Alf,  We arrived here at 9:00 am and ?  to ?  around this depot until 3:00 this afternoon for our ? to Des Moines. Get there at 8:40 tonight. Lonely (?) Not ? ?  Daisy

From Kleiner's Korner: Humorous Postcards from the Helck Family Collection

Even if I was turned around, pegged it pretty close!  Love that map; sure wish it extended a bit further south.  I lived, just before moving up here, north of the “i” in Windsor (now Canterbury) Street, across Advent from the church and the Meeting and the “feel” of the area, as in my pic above, is still right for the old VCR RoW along the tree-lined Jericho Pike there.  That track was still there when I was younger and the trace of it is still evident.  Love these posts, Howard, Art, et al/Al!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

It is likely that this was the Commission’s onsite headquarters adjacent to the grandstand. The Garden City Hotel was the off-site headquarters.

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

Greg, I was also confused by Headquarters Vanderbilt Cup Commission sign on the John Allen residence. The official program of the race that year has an ad placed by the Garden City Hotel stating it was the race headquarters. The more I thought about it the Allen residence was the onsite headquarters which makes a lot of sense.

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

Howard-  I was under the impression that the Garden City Hotel was the commission HQ for all the races. Was 1906 the only race that used another building for Commission HQ other than the GCH?

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

Additional construction detail and photos.  From a publication named “Pavements and Roadways” published by the American Steel and Wire Company, date unknown.

From Kleiner's Korner: "Good Roads Magazine" - Motor Parkway Construction Details

Oops - I forgot to note that #8 has no hood/bonnet.  Wonder if it fell or flew off or was left off for cooling or what?  Any thoughts?  Sam, III

From A Keystone View of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

From Art Kleiner:
Thanks, Al.

From A Keystone View of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Art, Regarding the flagmen and special officers They were paid, at least in North Hempstead, by the Town.  $250 was deposited by the A.A.A. into the Town’s Contingent Fund in early 1908 for that purpose. I assume that situation was also the case with the other town’s when it came to roadways under their respective control. Besides the farmers trying to get produce to market, there were at least two other agencies that were not happy with the public highways being closed for the races, these were the local fire departments and the U.S. Postal Service.

From A Keystone View of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

You call THAT a beard?  That’s NOWT a beard.  Now, THIS is a beard!  [Shades of Crocodile Dundee for you illuminati.]  A very few of you may remember when I grew it ‘way out to play a very convincing Santa for several Xmas seasons; getting close, now.  As a personal aside, I popped in to the Old Brookville police station on the North Hempstead Pike (25A) at Wolver Hollow Road on my way home from a gig one midnight, in full regalia, with a loud “HO, HO, HO!” and shook them all out of ten year’s growth!  That section of 25A still retains a bit of the bucolic character of the LIMP and the Jericho Pike of VCR days.  Actually, HK, you DO look grand!  Guess we both qualify as “Greybeards”, now.  Sam, III

From Update: Garden City Board of Trustees Met and Agreed Not to Destroy the Long Island Motor Parkway Pavement & Concrete

Here is another ad for the Petit Trianon which regularly appeared in a tourist pamplet entitled “Daily Attractions in New York”.  The ad is from the June 24 - 30, 1912 issue.  Ads for The Red Lion Inn (Great Neck) and The Lake Front Hotel (Lake Ronkonkoma) also appeared and mentioned the Motor Parkway. The map noted the Motor Parkway and the roads leading to it.  Interestingly a major road leading to it was from Port Jefferson, home of Dean Alvord’s Belle Terre community. Alvord, a real estate broker, was on the Plan and Scope Committee of the Motor Parkway, so probably the connection could be expected. Please forgive the lack or crispness on the photos (especially the map) - the digitized versions lack clarity.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Long Island Motor Parkway in Advertising Part I

Can’t remember the location of the VCC Hq. but that grove across the road sure reminds me of the Westbury Friends Meeting on the SE corner of the Jericho Pike at Post Avenue.  As I recall, Post Avenue used to run about 100’ east of its present crossing of the Pike and I think the Meetinghouse was moved at one point, so it might match.  If so, look at those industrious Hicksite Quakers at work!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #20 Solved: The 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Commission Headquarters on Jericho Turnpike, Westbury

A couple of observations (after watching the entire slide show twice).  First, it is notable that women spectators valued their lives; only men ventured out on the course.  Second, once again it is amazing to realize how dramatic a change the VCR and LIMP brought; what an achievement!  Third, look at the unusually- and extremely-long cross-bars on the telephone poles as a clue; ditto the turnout or entrance/exit at right and the dip in the RoW.  These last three might help narrow the choices.  Sam, III

From A Keystone View of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

It’s confirmed, that’s Howard with a distinguished beard : )

From Update: Garden City Board of Trustees Met and Agreed Not to Destroy the Long Island Motor Parkway Pavement & Concrete