Vanderbilt Cup Races

This one has had me head scratching all weekend and I hate being stumped…

I’ve run out of time, so I’m just going with guess and say the ten mile post was seen traveling West from Ronkonkoma at just about where the Brentwood lodge was located. I think the curve in the mystery photo is the curve just after Harned Rd spur.

I am unsure as to the rationale for the ID # pattern.

I’m attaching another photo from ‘along the motor parkway’ series taken of the section that is now on the northern portion of Manhasset Hills showing the Old Courthouse Rd bridge.

From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series

Image matching Bethpage Lodge above.

From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series

*Mystery Foto Location - my best guess is a gentle curve between Candlewood Path N & Deer Park Ave.  Dix Hills.

*10 mile post - should be at the intersection of Candlewood Path N and Vanderbilt Pkwy. The distance from the Bethpage Lodge.

*Pavement in Suffolk County - I remember Al Velocci saying that most of the LIMP in Suffolk wasn’t paved or open to traffic prior to 1915? Anyway, the road was constructed with a concrete base, and then paved with asphalt.

*Postcard #‘s - There is some pattern of the numbers/distance : W/O Huntington Lodge 13527 towards W/O Commack Rd 13536 is a difference of 9 ( about 9 miles between ). Some are less precise ( but the images are great ). I’m thinking the difference between the Lake 13549 and the Inn 13543 is 6 yards ( 18 to 20 ft ). I found an identical Bethpage Lodge image as above numbered 13525. Difference of 2 with Huntington 13527 ( really about 1.7 miles between ).

It’s curious that the Mystery Image is numbered 13519, lower than the other numbers; so it should be 6 miles, yards etc into Nassau County? Wait and discover, this was a thinker : ) !

From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series

Looks like June 6th, 1908 was a warm, sunny day. Big crowd!

From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location

I’m guessing the Motor Parkway Atlas was measuring in miles from the Bethpage Lodge for the newly completed section of Motor Parkway. The mile 10 curve (9.8) east of the lodge is in Dix Hills, just east of the LIMP’s last bridge over Deer Park Ave by Candlewood Path. If correct, I believe the photo below is near (west of) the mystery photo but facing in the opposite direction. 
Also noticed in the mystery photo a section of guardrail missing on the curve, the location of Parkway Br #10314 that was yet to be built. Guardrails at this time were made of wood. And the atlas east of the Bethpage Lodge was drawn in three sections, with each section ending with a “49” designation. The last postcard of the lake behind the Inn has a 49 designation as well, while the front of the Inn postcard has a 43. The postcards and the atlas seem to be connected

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/csi_report_identification_of_a_rare_photo_of_the_motor_parkway_in_suffolk_c

From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series

i have a one that i’ve had for about 40 years. here’s a picture. Any info on it wold be appreciated.
________________________________________________________________________
Howard Kroplick

Your porcelain plate is a parking pass for Roosevelt Field similar to my plate # 398
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/my_long_island_motor_parkway_license_plate_collection

From Updated: My Long Island Motor Parkway License Plate Collection (11/7/2025)

Wow! Great Atlas purchase and rare opportunity to preserve historical data. Thanks Howard for all your efforts. Love the Queens B map with the GCP nowhere in sight, for another 23 years! It’s a long shot but always wondered about that old monument that hasn’t been discovered yet. Tiny as they are, that would truly be a needle in the haystack search

Photo below: Bike riders in Alley Pond Park 1940, braving the 8% grade under the GCP bridge.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The 1910 Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap

LOVE IT !  THANK YOU HOWARD
Particularly page 6 showing the OBVR portion and how far it went into OBVR versus Bethpage-Spagnoli Rd which can be computed from the Battle Row Curve.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The 1910 Motor Parkway Survey Bookmap

Couldn’t tell you anything about the Mystery question but I sure did enjoy seeing the pictures…

From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series

Note:  West of Wheeler Road Central Islip is 13539 ( not 13529 )

From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series

Since we are looking west, I’m going to assume that the ten mile post is a point on the LIMP approximately 10 miles west of the Petit Trianon. Using an old map and rough calculations, along with the road curving to the left, this should place the photo slightly east of the place where the extension to Jericho Turnpike (today’s Harned Road) would be built in 1927. This unpaved section was probably compacted dirt, possibly oiled to limit dust. The numbers might have been an index system used by the photographer/publisher to locate the image for re-orders. Could not find any other postcard images.

From Mystery Foto #12 Solved: A View Along the 10-Mile Curve in Dix Hills & the "View" Postcard Series

O. K.  No question now that the big tree was south of the RoW/bridge.  However, I question the IDs of the group.  The resolution just isn’t enough to distinguish the two men in white dusters to the right of the pine tree; the one in the dark duster is clearly Pardington as shown in photo 48A because the very-imposing Thompson, with his white moustache, is unmistakable at right, as he is in the Mystery Foto to the left of the pine.  The two unknowns in dusters are probably members of the Motor parkway Commission, leaving the two ordinary mortals at left in both pix to be Brown or his engineers.  I’d opt for it being Brown in the snap-brim fedora.  Doncha just love “temperoary” and “Jeruslem” and offi-ice” in 48A?  Seaking of Thompson, have we seen this fab. 1906 LIMP pic: <https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora:183005>?  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location

Al P., Here’s a better view of the marker as well a link to Howard’s entry for it.

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/motor_parkway_historical_marker_at_the_site_of_the_1908_ground-breaking_cer

From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location

I own a 49 Super convertible,the difference is Supers have a 248 c.i. Engine with 115 horsepower or 120 horsepower if Dynaflow equipped .The bodies are the same between a Super and Roadmaster, the length differences is the front fenders and hood to acconmdate the 320c.i. 140 horsepower engine.All Roadmaster are Dynaflow , automatic transmission.

From Mystery Auto Foto #47 Solved: Definitely a 1949 Buick Roadmaster that Starred in the Film Rain Man

Greg, I checked Google Street View, and you beat me to it with your comment. There is a NYS historical marker at the embankment. I don’t know when it was put up because on Google it’s too fuzzy to read. I wonder if it’s Howard who is responsible for its being there.
___________________________________________________
Howard Kroplick

Al, the historical marker was placed here by the Central Park Historical Society.

From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location

Great images! 1951 image brings to mind when my sons were cub scouts with their soap box derby cars : )

From Kleiner's Korner: Peter Helck's Postcard Collection

I was thinking the same, Greg. Tree was still there in the 1950’s. Trees there now are young.

From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location

Nice

From Kleiner's Korner: Peter Helck's Postcard Collection

I like the pic of Sam enjoying his ice cream after fun exploring!

From Sammy & Dave’s “Excellent 2019 Vanderbilt Day”- #13 Melville

Sam; Google Street View is sufficient to get an idea of what is currently there. My further rationale for saying that tree no longer stands is when Stewart was widened, it looks like they widened towards the West side of the street (Tree side)  and not the East side since the East side bridge embankment is still there.

From Mystery Foto #11B Solved: The Garden City Archives: Scouting the Ground-Breaking Ceremony Location