Vanderbilt Cup Races

Another photo of the R-34 “hovering” above Roosevelt Field, Mineola.  Photo is from The Wireless Age, August, 1919 which was a radio/telephony industry publication.  Different modes of transportation (including automobiles and dirigibles) incorporated radio/telephony in their early work.

From Mystery Foto #10 Solved: Mural of the British Dirigible R34 Landing in Roosevelt Field in 1919

Thanks Greg for this wonderful collection of photos. It certainly is a terrific story. The 1957 picture is especially interesting in that you can see the modifications they made to the home. The snowstorm photo also brings to question how well and quickly they cleared the snow from the parkway. That photo looks like it was quite a big snowstorm! I’m sure Howard and Al can answer that one.

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

Identify the location of the Mystery Foto and the orientation of the photographer. Provide a rationale. Hints: Amazing “Then & Now”  images will be posted on Monday night. 
- Lakeville Road, Lake Success looking north.  To the left is Willie K’s. estate Deepdale.  Iron fencing along the estate.

If possible, relate this location to the Vanderbilt Cup Races.
1905 VCR

Identify the automobile and relate it to Tucker 1044.

When was the Mystery Foto likely taken?
- 1909

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

Corey - thank you for your information pertaining to Gold and Blue Service Flags.  Having attended a ceremony in which these service mothers were honored, I very much appreciate your explanation and bringing this to light to the readership.  Attached are pictures of Otto’s wife Pernelle and her son Wallace.  From The Nassau Daily Review-Star (May 10 and Feb. 7, 1941).

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

Frank- I believe this to be a previous lodge keeper before Otto and Pernelle took the job in 1926. Bill agreed and does not think that is his Grandfather.

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

I am a retired Emergency Svc.manI was in Hix I do remember but sadly can’t remember your name.At work I was known as George

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

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