Vanderbilt Cup Races

This Aerial is viewed North in East Meadow & Westbury, NY. Just guess is 1954+, being that a 1953 Historic Aerial is a match. Don’t see the Meadowbrook Pkwy built up North to this location yet, believe it was 1956 +. The golf course was Nassau County Links & Park. now Eisenhower Park. LIMP is visible East & West of Merrick Ave. The Meadowbrook Lodge and Keyhole Entrance is seen, lodge became a home. Greg O. found that the lodge remained at least as late as 1957. Screenshots below are marked with roads etc.

From Mystery Friday Foto #30 Solved: A 1954 Photo of Nassau County Park at Salisbury Golf Course

Looking forward to seeing y’all at the Riverhead show

From Upcoming car shows, concours and exhibit for the Howard & Roz Kroplick Collection: Updated 4/8/26

Awesome and we can’t wait to see and hear it roar again

From Restoration Update #4: 1930 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan Berline #2448 J-399 (5/13/2025)

Salisbury Links, now Eisenhower Park.  The County had already acquired the property as the winding road through the park had already been constructed. 

Stewart Avenue runs left to right at the bottom of the photo (the remnants of the original route of the roadway through the Park ate still visible to the right of Merrick Ave. / Post Road). 

Immediately to the North of Stewart Ave. is Mitchel Gardens, originally a WPA project for low ranking personnel at Mitchel Field which was later acquired by the Air Force.  The site is now the recycling plant. 

Barely visible above it is what was left of the LIMP and the Meadow Brook Lodge.

Still farther North, the stables at Roosevelt Raceway are visible. 

To the right of that are the various golf links in the park.  Part of the County park system since 1944, Salisbury Park was officially dedicated on October 1, 1949.

From Mystery Friday Foto #30 Solved: A 1954 Photo of Nassau County Park at Salisbury Golf Course

I’m thinking I’ve seen this photo before, so this is a memory test. When the LIMP was open, the golf course was Salisbury Links. As a kid growing up in the area, we called it Salisbury Park. Today it’s Eisenhower Park. I’m going to date it around mid 1950’s maybe 1954 or 1955 because you can still see the old right-of-way for the LIMP and what looks like the Meadowbrook Lodge and keyhole entrance drive. We are looking north over Westbury with the following roads visible: Stewart Avenue, Merrick Avenue and the drive through the park.

From Mystery Friday Foto #30 Solved: A 1954 Photo of Nassau County Park at Salisbury Golf Course

Kings Hgwy ends at Remsen Ave (north/south), which can be taken north to cut up to Eastern Pkwy and then the Jackie Robinson Pkwy (formerly Interboro Pkwy - I’m glad it was renamed to honor Robinson, which opened in ‘35). Before then, drivers took Jamaica Ave. Horace Harding could be reached by going north on any of the “main” streets like 164th, Parsons Blvd., Homelawn, etc. What a schlep. And I remember when it WAS Horace Harding Blvd before the Expressway came through Fresh Meadows (construction started in ‘57 - I was 9 yrs old, to ‘60, when it opened). Until ‘58, the Expressway ended at 108th St, having just opened from Queens Blvd. And the Grand Central Pkwy was 2 lanes in each direction. No Throgs Neck, No Verrazano, no Clearview Expressway, no Van Wyck extension, no Northern Blvd/GCP/Whitestone Pkwy (not expressway) interchange, all of which were built and widened just in time for the ‘64-‘65 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows.

From Kleiner's Korner: 100 Years Ago on the Motor Parkway (May, 1925)

Mystery photo #30
Formerly known as Salisbury Park. Now known as Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, NY. Merrick Avenue is shown running north/south. Stewart Avenue is shown in the bottom left and becomes Park Avenue when it crosses Merrick Av.

From Mystery Friday Foto #30 Solved: A 1954 Photo of Nassau County Park at Salisbury Golf Course

The golf club is now called Eisenhower park. When the LIMP was running it was calledSalisbury Golf Club.
I believe this picture was taken in the late 40s-early 50s because the Merrick Avenue Bridge, taken down in the 40s is gone but the Meadowbrook lodge is still up ( came down in early 50s?)
Growing up in Garden City in the 60s we called it Salisbury park.
Picture is taken over East Meadow
Major roads include Stewart Avenue on bottom, left to right, ending at the entrance of the golf course- into what is now park Blvd.
Motor parkway is just north of Stewart running left to right.
Near Merrick Avenue ( north -south) you can see Meadowbrook lodge in keyhole driveway area.

From Mystery Friday Foto #30 Solved: A 1954 Photo of Nassau County Park at Salisbury Golf Course

The shutters in the radiator shell in front of the radiator are not just decorative. They open and close as the engine temperature increases. Closed to start to get the engine warmer/ quicker to a proper operating temperature then opening up to keep the radiator core cooler as the car goes down the road.
This also was used for air cooled cars like Franklins made in the same era. My 1931 Franklin Derham bodied Victoria brougham had this system that was controlled by the heat off the first cylinder. Often over the years the shutters are just blocked so they stay open all the time which isn’t the way the cars were designed to function by the factory/manufacturer.

From Restoration Update #4: 1930 Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Sedan Berline #2448 J-399 (5/13/2025)

Greg, Another location with a curve to the right over a road is in East Williston. Looking north, the Motor Parkway as it crosses over East Wiliston Ave. (Hillside Ave.), bends to the right,

From Update 5/6/2025: Now open for further discussion and a new poll- Mystery Friday Foto #18: An Unknown Motor Parkway Location

Super easy.  Saw it in seconds.  The remnants of the Meadowbrook Lodge property gave it away.  We are looking at Merrick Avenue.  With Stewart Avenue at the bottom of the picture from the left to the center.  Stewart used to continue through what is now Eisenhower Park.  The golf course is part of Eisenhower Park today.  Back then it was I believe the Salisbury Golf Club.  I also see part of the old Mitchell Gardens.  And part of the property to its north that was owned by the racetrack.  You can barely see the ROW of the LIMP cross Merrick Ave about a third of the way up the picture.

From Mystery Friday Foto #30 Solved: A 1954 Photo of Nassau County Park at Salisbury Golf Course

‘’‘and I just discovered that one of Spankys beanies sold for over $1200.00 at auction in 2011

From Mystery Friday Foto #19 Solved: A Crowd Gathers at the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Of note on both maps is the Great pond at Montauk. It was still a fresh water pond with no connection to the sea. That would happen in the 1920’s when Carl Fischer would have the inlet opened and create the inlet as part of his quest yo turn Montauk into the Miami Beach of the North.

From From the Marty Himes Collection: Two Very Early Long Island Pocket Maps (1892 and 1917)

These are neat maps, appreciate that the Himes Family has shared them here. Like that LIRR is mileage noted, like the spur for the Bethpage Brick Yard was almost 2 1/2 miles long. And there’s town or villages named that eventually were changed or just deleted.

Roy Warner - Yes, there was an extension that branched south from Mineola to Hempstead. There was a LIRR employee, Robert/Bob Emery that hand sketched the entire LIRR routes, creating an archive of maps. Very detailed, if you search his name here, there are maps that will come up.

Seeing Chauffeur here, both of my grandfathers were employed as Chauffeurs. They lived and worked in NYC. Even noted on early censuses as their occupation.

From From the Marty Himes Collection: Two Very Early Long Island Pocket Maps (1892 and 1917)

How about over Carman Ave, looking southeast ? Also, the bridge in the sandpits, in Meville believe it had the same kind of curve.

From Update 5/6/2025: Now open for further discussion and a new poll- Mystery Friday Foto #18: An Unknown Motor Parkway Location

Would love to see this car restored back to original Cabriolet factory specifications.
I love FLW houses and I absolutely love E.T. Gregorie Edsel Ford automotive design genius on the original Continental.  Good time to correct a mistake.

From Frank Lloyd Wright's 1940 Lincolns- Automotive history being restored by Rob Ida

Very pleasant voice!  Thanks for sharing.  And Happy Birthday!

From Song of the Week: "What About This Time" by Dana Kyle Kroplick

Willie K, Clarence MacKay (Harbor Hill), and ​​​​​​​Jefferson DeMont Thompson (chairman of the races) at the results of 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, location at the grandstand at Jericho Tpke just west of Powells Lane, Westbury NY. Oct 6, 1906

From Mystery Friday Foto #19 Solved: A Crowd Gathers at the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Thank you for the swift reply to my comment.  I’m curious about what kinds of relics you might have found on your explorations in this area.  I remember being fixated on some frame rails and other vehicle remnants next to the Parkway on the hillside just north of the LILCO power lines, and I have a nice little arrowhead collection from the surrounding hills.  I also have a somewhat foggier memory of two concrete bridge abutments on Colonial Springs Road next to the old VFW hall.  Was there an overpass/underpass for the Parkway in that location?  I have read a fairly comprehensive history of the area in a book by Verne Dyson that I wonder if you are familiar with.

From Kleiner's Korner: 100 Years Ago on the Motor Parkway (Oct. - Nov., 1924)

The location is at the grandstands for the Vanderbilt Cup Race on Jericho Turnpike in Westbury. The date would be October 6, 1906. The three men are Willie K. (who needs no link); Clarence Mackay, friend of Willie K. and $5,000.00 investor in the LIMP; and Jefferson DeMont Thompson, chairman of the Vanderbilt Cup Commission and Treasurer of the LIMP. Regarding the hats, with the exception of the gentlemen on either side of Willie K., they’re ALL wearing hats.

From Mystery Friday Foto #19 Solved: A Crowd Gathers at the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race