Vanderbilt Cup Races

Very neat that You and Bill have met this way, Greg! These images are priceless, so good of Bill to share this with us! He mentions of being a former LILCO employee, and Cruikshank is very familiar to me. I began with LILCO in 1987, and was part of the Electric Service Dept since early 1990’s, Hicksville yard. He may remember me as “The Mechanic/Linemans Helper”, my red hair stands me out too :  )

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Corey Victoria Geske;
Thank you so much for that back ground! There are more photos in up coming posts in relation to this.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Based on the sun’s shadow under the car, I believe the photographer was facing north. Assuming the license plate to be New York, the date is probably 1914 or 1915. So which LIMP entrance would be on the east side of a road in 1914 or 1915? The only one I could think of would be the Great Neck Lodge on Lakeville Road and with the substantial fencing across the street, could we be looking at Willie K.‘s Deepdale estate boundary? This section of Lakeville Road was part of the course for the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race and very close to the 1906 course. As for the car, I’ll await the answer from the brass era experts.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: The Lakeville Road Entrance to the Great Neck Lodge in 1914

*Location & Orientation of Photographer:  Lakeville Rd, Lake Success NY. Photographer was facing north. The road seen on the east is the entrance leading to the Great Neck Lodge. No reasoning, just my best guess. The lodge sign seen helps, too. I also notice a fire hydrant at the corner of the entrance rd. It’s pointed out in the submitted photos below.

*Relation to the VCR:  This section of Lakeville Rd was part of the 1905 VCR course.

*Automobile:  Renault 1908-1914

*Image date:  This may be around the time when the LIMP terminated just before Lakeville Rd. ( Pkwy was barricaded while road construction was underway to the west ). LIMP isn’t in this image because it’s just south of the photographer. I’ll say 1910.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: The Lakeville Road Entrance to the Great Neck Lodge in 1914

Thank you, Howard for sharing Greg’s discovery featuring Meadow Brook Lodge. In the mother and daughter picture, the photographer made sure to include the Blue Star Service Flag in the window because one of the two stars represented the little girl’s father serving his country during World War II. The Blue Star Service Flag was first designed during World War I by an Army Captain from Ohio whose two sons were on the front line; and in 1917, service members’ families were encouraged to display this ‘Badge of Honor’ in the front windows of their homes, with the saying, “Do as Col. (Theodore) Roosevelt does at Oyster Bay.” For those who lost sons or daughters in WWI, ‘The Gold Star Mothers’ service organization was formed in 1928. During WWII, ‘The Blue Star Mothers of America’ was organized in 1942 and chapters formed that same year in nine states including New York. Both service organizations for Gold and Blue Star Mothers continue today as does recognition of Gold Star and Blue Star wives. At Meadow Brook Lodge, all three generations – a Blue Star mother and her WWI veteran husband; and two Blue Star wives with their children—living under the same well-built roof, show the spirit of a tight-knit American family surviving tough times. Thank you, Howard for historical reminders of family courage as today’s family units learn of their great potential for strength.
Attached, is an image of a Service Flag circa 1944, like the one my grandmother put in her front window after D-Day. Courtesy of the Library of Congress at http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.01754/pageturner?ID=pm0026001&page=3
Postscript: 245 years ago today, at Lexington and Concord, MA, the ‘shot heard round the world’ began the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, now remembered as ‘Patriots’ Day,’ described by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
  Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
  And fired the shot heard round the world.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

An enlargement of Art’s 1940 Census page.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Howard,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of Otto McCamish and family at the Meadow Brook Lodge from 1920.  It truly adds to the history that all have provided to describe life events over 100 years ago.

Regards, stay healthy and safe to all!

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

The car is without doubt a Franklin , built in Syracuse, NY from 1902 thru 1934.
Year is 1911-13 had to tell from the angle of the photograph, and it is a 4 cylinder - model G or D.  Interestingly enough the Franklin car has a very strong connection to the Tucker - can anyone reading this tell us what that is?

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: The Lakeville Road Entrance to the Great Neck Lodge in 1914

I believe the Barracks to the East of Meadowbrook Parkway, south of Hempstead Tpke were German POW Barracks.  They assisted in the Long Island Potato planting and harvest, and stories I’ve hear were they were polite and well behaved.  Most were from North Africa campaign.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Howard,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful story of Otto McCamish and family at the Meadow Brook Lodge from 1920.  It truly adds to the history that all have provided to describe life events over 100 years ago.
Regards and stay healthy and safe to all!

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Looking north on Lakeville road with the motor parkway entrance on the right and the iron fence of Vanderbilt’s Lake Success home on the left. Interesting note there are still pieces of this fence still on the ground where they fell when removed.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: The Lakeville Road Entrance to the Great Neck Lodge in 1914

Great work, Greg!  Makes you wonder what else is out there just waiting for us to find. 

Otto and his family is listed in the 1940 census as living on Post Avenue.  Otto (age 45) is listed as a painter and decorator and his daughter, Doris (Bill’s mom, age 18) is shown as Assistant Manager, Dry Cleaning.  The value of the lodge is listed as $5,000.  Take note of the entries after the McCamish listing - those for families living at the Meadow Brook Club.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Wow!  My favorite lodge of all of them!  How I wish it was still standing when I grew up within walking distance of the lodge at Mitchel Field in the ‘60’s. 

BTW, there were two separate POW camps on the Base during WWII.  Both were located in the southeastern portion of the property, immediately adjacent to the Meadow Brook Golf Club to the East and Hempstead Turnpike to the South. 

POW’s were well treated and often assigned work details by the AAF, sometimes off the Base proper!  A few of them eventually returned after the War and settled in the area. 

As kids riding our bikes along Perimeter Road, the formally electrified, barbed-wire fence bordering the golf course was still there.  Now you know why it had been electrified!

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Just as a point of clarification, the Polo Field seen in these photos is the one North of Stewart Ave. and was an auxiliary field, not to be confused with the main Polo Field immediately adjacent to Mitchel Field (literally just a few yards away from the flight line!).

From Aerial Views of Roosevelt Raceway After 1937

Great find and connection, Greg! This must be Bill Cruikshank that I know of from LILCO. We’re different generation, I began working for the company in 1987. When I became part of the Electric Service Dept in early 1990’s, I believe Bill was a supervisor in the same department, different location. He’d remember I as “the mechanic” in Hicksville. What a neat surprising connection with the LIMP, Bill! Very glad You and Greg discovered each other!

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Lodge keeper Otto McCamish is tall and slim in the photos. Could this be Otto in the photo below?

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

WOW!!! Fantastic collection of photos and information! The left arrow says “New York” and right arrow says “Ronkonkoma”. Check out Bill’s mother Doris’ 1929 snow sled. What a ride that must’ve been speeding down the graded entrance ramp! Looking forward to seeing more. Thanks Greg, and Bill Cruickshank for sharing these photos and history of your family and the lodge.

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Looks like a 1940 Packard

From Greg O's Discovery #1: The McCamish Family Collection of Motor Parkway Photos: Meadow Brook Lodge

Mystery Foto #16… The automobile in the Mystery Foto is a 1911 Franklin Model D Torpedo Phaeton. The Franklin company made engines that were used in modified form in the Tucker 1044. And like this Franklin car the Tucker car was originally called a Torpedo.
Photo likely taken 1911 or 1912.

From Mystery Foto #16 Solved: The Lakeville Road Entrance to the Great Neck Lodge in 1914

Mayhap this is a good place to contrast the 1936 (what a nightmare!) and 1937 course maps.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939