Vanderbilt Cup Races

Very nice—thanks

Ken

From Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: The Construction Equipment of the Long Island Motor Parkway

Short of a street map of the area between 1919 and 1927, the only real solution is to go out there with a handheld GPS unit and check the latitudinal coordinates of those streets mentioned in East Garden City as well as the corresponding streets still in existence on Mitchel Field, which I plan on doing upon my next visit to the area in August 2019!

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

Photo taken Sept. 22 1906 during the Vanderbilt Elimination Trials. Driver is Joe Tracy with Al Poole as riding mechanic in the Locomobile. The training camp was at Maple Cottage in Lakeville.

Happy Holidays Howard.

From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: Tracy and Poole Changing A Tire During the 1906 American Elimination Race

Mystery Foto #51… The race car is a 90hp Locomobile
driven by Joe Tracy with Al Poole as the mechanician.
This was the 1906 American Elimination Trial held on September 22, 1906.
Headquarters for Joe and the Locomobile was at Lakeville Hotel.

From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: Tracy and Poole Changing A Tire During the 1906 American Elimination Race

September 22, 1906 American Elimination Trials
Driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole
The number 12 Locomobile got a flat tire at the Westbury turn.
The team headquarters was at the “Maple Cottage” in Lke Success

Merry Christmas Howard !

From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: Tracy and Poole Changing A Tire During the 1906 American Elimination Race

Enjoying these photos….

Thanks !

From Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: The Construction Equipment of the Long Island Motor Parkway

Further bringing into question the validity of the caption of the picture postcard of the entrance to Camp Mills from Clinton Road at New York Street, the first photo Frank posted would certainly suggest the Main Entrance may NOT have been at New York Street at all.  Rather, it may have been slightly South of there at the intersection of Clinton Road and Main Street.

Logically, does it not stand to reason that the ‘Main Entrance’ would connect to a road called, ‘Main Street’? Duh!  This also supports the indication in the caption that Locust Street would be at the bottom left of the photo in the picture postcard, just as it appears in the aerial photo Frank provided!

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

The wooden buildings seen in the general vicinity of what would become the Parade Grounds / Quad are neatly divided by the newer section of New York Street that Frank refers to. 

Buildings to the North of NY St. are neatly bordered by Miller Avenue while those to the South of NY St. are just as sharply partitioned by Davis Ave., running parallel along the Flight Line.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that when Miller and Davis were constructed, NY St. may have been widened and/or repaved, consistent with Miller and Davis.

As for the discontinuity of New York Street to the West of that area, it would seem unlikely the two segments were not the same roadway at one time.  They simply line up too perfectly to have been two discreet roads.  The only question mark is if the Eastern portion went by a different name for which I can find no evidence.

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

Frank - looks just as much like the Mineola Main Line bridge or the Roslyn/Williston Oyster Bay Branch bridge - see <http://sbiii.com/limpbrdg.html#rrbridgs>.  We’d have to count ribs or girders.  Sam, III

From Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: The Construction Equipment of the Long Island Motor Parkway

A few follow up thoughts:

1) Judging by the modern day map of Mitchel Field, I would have guessed New York Street would have been opposite Chestnut Street in East Garden City (which was Frank’s initial guess back in September), not Locust Street.  Similarly, I would have also guessed that Main Street through Camp Mills aligned directly with Locust Street.

2) It is possible the picture postcard of the entrance to Camp Mills at New York Street and Clinton Road at the Garden City Library, the source of the reference to Locust Street to the bottom left may be incorrect.

3) Bill Bellmer’s posting of the 1918 map shows New York Street crossing Eastward beyond Ave. ‘E’ (later, Oak Street) [just to the left of the two staples on the right] with no indication of the roadway changing its name heading toward the Polo Grounds. 

4) In any event, I think it’s safe to conclude New York Street continued at least as far East as West Road, which was as far East as Camp Mills extended (Mitchel Field and Camp Mills overlapped between Oak Street and West Road). 

5) In all my years of research, I have never found any evidence to suggest an alternate name for New York Street as it veered Eastward past West Road.  Can anyone provide a street map from the post 1919 decommissioning of Camp Mills and the pre 1927 Base Reconfiguration of Mitchel Field?  Calling Bill Bellmer!

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

Aw shucks Frank, Brian and I went today instead (Sat). Something came up for Sunday. We avoided the cloverleaves and concentrated the woods south of the LIE service road and west of Shinbone. All we found was one small chunk of limp concrete on the south. They pretty much wiped the slate clean during hwy construction. We also completed the Bagatelle tour and found more posts. Will send Howard all findings and their locations once I gather it all together. More tours coming up in the near future….

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

These construction photos are incredible!

From Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: The Construction Equipment of the Long Island Motor Parkway

I remember as a kid there was WW1 liberty truck restored in the Gulf oil livery . On the ATHS site someone posted a picture of what’s left of it, not much pretty sad. Are there any photos of it,or specs. I would like to know the history of it for my own curiosity. I just remember she looked grand when I saw it in the museum. Thank you sir

From Never Before Published Photos of the Long Island Automotive Museum

Frank, that sounds great.  What time are you going meet?  I’ll see if I can make it.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

Update #2: Frank Femenias has added an analysis of a 1926 aerial to the post.

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

That’s the number 12 Locomobile with driver Joe Tracy and mechanician Al Poole during the 1906 American Elimination Trial race which took place on September 22, 1906. The Locomobile headquarters was Maple Cottage on Lakeville Road in Lakeville which is today’s Lake Success.

From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: Tracy and Poole Changing A Tire During the 1906 American Elimination Race

Growing up in the Merrick area, very cool to see this photos of way before my time. As a car enthusiast now, would have been very cool to still have a raceway right up the road!

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series #34: The Merrick Avenue Bridge in Westbury/East Meadow

-Identify the racer, driver and mechanician
#12 Locomobile driven by Joe Tracy, Al Poole mechanician, 90 HP. Finished 1st. Joe Tracy encountered a setback when his Locomobile suffered a flat tire and had to stop at the Diamond tire depot near the hairpin turn in Old Westbury.

-Identify the race and date of the photo
1906 American Elimination Trials-Date: Saturday, September 22, 1906

Kudos question: Where was the headquarters for this racer and its team?
For the1905 and 1906 races, the Locomobile team from nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut set up their headquarters at Maple Cottage, a farmhouse located in Lakeville (now Lake Success).

From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: Tracy and Poole Changing A Tire During the 1906 American Elimination Race

Although New York St is the best guess so far for Lee’s childhood street name, I’m not so sure. The 1926 aerial shows remnants of Camp Mill structures in between New York St and Lee’s Unknown Road, severing a continuous roadway. Were both roadways named the same? Possibly, but Lee’s neighborhood roadways seem of newer construction and could’ve taken on a different name. Mitchel Field would be reconfigured one year later from this photo. Howard, sending more aerials. What fun!

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road

Update: A few corrections made to the post.

From Update #2: In Search of the Mystery Camp Mills "New York" Road