Vanderbilt Cup Races

FAB, Art; thanks!  Now all we need is for some hero (not I, said the little red hen!) to accurately superimpose the bridges and lodges/toll booths!  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Kolumn: The 1941 Suffolk County Map of The Motor Parkway

Art. That is the exact location of where the gated entrance to the Links Golf Club was. I grew up in that neighborhood and remember it well.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown

The latest Mystery Foto #3   01/17/2020 - The Links Golf Course’s Private opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown - has made me to come to realize that the image above - Motor Parkway pavement was still on the ground within Wheatley Hills Golf Club in 1981 - isn’t captioned correctly. Above image matches the same curved road/path ( not LIMP ) and clubhouse in The Links.
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Howard Kroplick
Brian, you are 100% correct. The caption has been changes.

From From the Ron Ridolph Collection: Images of the Long Island Motor Parkway

Glad that I could be of help. I’m so glad that our families have this common bond and it’s growing!
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Howard Kroplick

John, you just gave me a very big smile!!

From Update: The Roslyn Grist Mill and a Tuckerette

Two more

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown

I had a chance to visit the area last Friday also in the frigid temps (24F)!  No remnants of the gate except possibly a brick found on the other side of the roadway.  Along with other possible pieces of a wall. 

The blue dot in the first pic shows where i was standing.  Estimate of where the gate was. 

And don’t forget the no parking sign in the area - I’m sure Willie K. and friends obeyed.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown

Mark, Vanderbilt was more than friendly with members of the Links Golf Club, he was also a member.                                                                            Brian, The Titus homestead was the original clubhouse which was later expanded. In 1927 a new clubhouse was built. In 1976 it was severely damaged by a fire. It was rebuilt, modernized and expanded at that time.

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown

ART, Regarding the 1905 newspaper clipping, Forest Park etc., and Vanderbilt’s involvement. We can thank the Wiliamsburg Bridge which opened in December of 1903 for that. Willie K was quick to take advantage of the fact that this bridge dramatically reduced travel time to Long Island compared to the Brooklyn Bridge. Willie preferred this route rather than taking ferries from Manhattan. My understanding is that some ferries banned automobiles at the time because of the problems with horse drawn vehicles. Other ferries solved that problem by having motorized vehicles board first, much earlier and shutting off their motors. On docking, the motor vehicles had to wait until the horse drawn vehicles were long gone before they could even start their engines. The route thru the cemeteries was never thought of as a private venture. As least as early as 1901 there was talk of extending Eastern Parkway thru the cemeteries to the Forest Park area.  The opening of the Williamsburg Bridge mightily increased the demand for a roadway thru the cemeteries to Queens That battle would go on until the mid 1930’s.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Planning a Long Island Auto Speedway Before the Motor Parkway (1901 to 1905)

Will be missing this on Thursday while in CA. Hoping the pre-revolutionary mill’s raising is captured on video/photos!

From Update: The Roslyn Grist Mill and a Tuckerette

Absolutely Howard, this was all meant to happen. A recent discovery of my family history proves just that. Hope to make it to Roslyn this Thursday.
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Howard Kroplick

Hope to see you there. Event is likely to be covered by NYC and Long Island media.

From Update: The Roslyn Grist Mill and a Tuckerette

You’ve curdled my blood with those interior shots, Howard!  I all-too-well remember being the perfect little gentleman, accompanying my mother (however unwillingly) to tea at the Mill!  That could be me in that one shot - except that I would NEVER have had my cap on indoors!  Seems to me it was at grade then (ca. ‘45-‘47?).  When was the road raised (1900s) - and why?  I imagine there was much more room between the roadway and the entrance back when I was a kid, which might explain my recollection of it being at grade.  Great work, though; I hope to see it all documented hereon.  Sam, III
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Howard Kroplick I

Sam, they raised the road bed when they filled in a section of Silver Lake opposite the Mill with landfill.

From Update: The Roslyn Grist Mill and a Tuckerette

After some reading about Preston Tucker, this man was a dynamo! He was true to his convictions, and outside forces couldn’t break him. Lung Cancer is shown as his cause of death, but he was still young in his early 50’s. There must have been other contributing factors.

From The Dream of the Tucker Torpedo Concept Car Is Becoming A Reality

The photo captioned “View looking east from atop the bridge.” is actually looking west; Executive Drive back yards appear at left, Windsor Gate Drive property is at right.
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Howard Kroplick
Correct! Thanks!

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The New Hyde Park Road Motor Parkway Bridge Abutment

Absolutely beautiful 1957 Buick Special (3 portholes). The Doctor’s Car. I was 9 y/o at the time and remember it well.

From Alert: Alco Black Beast Sighting on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park

I guess the proposed private route through the Cypress Hills Cemetery was similar to what was eventually cut through by the State of NY for the Interboro Pkwy (now Jackie Robinson Pky) in 1935. I never checked, but I suppose the Cemetery either sold the right of way to the State or it was obtained through eminent domain.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Planning a Long Island Auto Speedway Before the Motor Parkway (1901 to 1905)

What a great coincidence…

From Update: The Roslyn Grist Mill and a Tuckerette

As a kid my son Gram would make me pass that shop every weekend in hopes of seeking my the Black Beast being serviced. That passion grew into a lifequest as he is studies for a career in Auto Restoration at Penn College. So much of what he dreams for his future ties into his first season toting of the Black Beast and our countless strolls on The Motor Parkway.

From Alert: Alco Black Beast Sighting on Jericho Turnpike in Garden City Park

The photographer was standing on the Long Island Motor Parkway looking north at the private entrance for the Links Golf Club in North Hills. The Links Club was an exclusive organization with wealthy members. I assume Vanderbilt was friends with some of these members and built them their own private entrance off of his Parkway

From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown

Steven, thanks for the input.  Not in all cases, but sometimes the documents I use are not clear to start with so enlarging them makes it worse.  I’ll try increasing the resolution and see how that works.  By the way, do you see a difference when viewing on a pc or smart phone?

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Planning a Long Island Auto Speedway Before the Motor Parkway (1901 to 1905)

Wonderful and rare material, as always. Why are most of the maps, photos, etc. too small to read clearly via a thumbnail/link? I am referring to all the issues, not this one in specific. It can’t be a bandwidth issue?

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Planning a Long Island Auto Speedway Before the Motor Parkway (1901 to 1905)