Vanderbilt Cup Races

Howard,
Wow, how fortunate that those terrific photos of the Black Beast are available.  They’re incredibly sharp for their age.  I really enjoyed them.  Thanks for posting them.
Rog

From Amazing Photos of the Alco Black Beast During the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Always knew there was an entrance there but now can’t remember why.  Instantly thought it had to be the R34 coming in to land at Mineola on 06 Jul 1919 but the cars appear to be of a later date, say 1928-30.  Also, the shadow, although it may well be foreshortened, looks far more like a blimp (Type B, limp) than a rigid airship (dirigible); the fins are far to big in proportion to the gasbag.  Good one, Howard; I look forward to the denouement.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: Motor Parkway Parking Space Adjacent to Long Island Aviation Country Club

Could be a US Navy blimp from Lakehurst NJ

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: Motor Parkway Parking Space Adjacent to Long Island Aviation Country Club

Precious!

From Amazing Photos of the Alco Black Beast During the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Hi Howard:

    JUST   GREAT STUFF !!!!!!    Cheers and Best !!!!  Ron Ridolph

From Amazing Photos of the Alco Black Beast During the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Looking back now, this is a great shot of one of the boulevard’s busiest and most historic intersection. This intersection goes back a long time. Amazing what time can do. Thank you all.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

And any news on those bicycles leaning on the guardrail? They appear identical and to be motorcycles instead (for official use?), but I dont see the throttle on the handlebars

From Amazing Photos of the Alco Black Beast During the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Awesome ‘new’ photos of the Bete Noir Beast. I believe these pics would’ve remained buried deep if not for this website’s exposure.  The last pic at the finish line used photography methods resulting in everything being reversed. Regardless, this new photo angle has prompted changes to come even closer to the Official Stand’s approximate length. The support beams now clearly appear to be closer to 8 foot centers instead of 12.5 centers as previous reported.

From Amazing Photos of the Alco Black Beast During the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Well done Brandon!  I’ve dealt with Brandon at the SAM several times.  Very devoted to automotive racing history, and automotive history in general.  If you’re every in the Saratoga Springs territory it’s worth a trip to the museum.

From Amazing Photos of the Alco Black Beast During the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I wish I could attend.

I’m very interested to know the significance of that spot that led to your passion. Please fill us in!

From Thursday's Presentation:“My Hunt for the Vanderbilt Cup Races & the Long Island Motor Parkway"

Hay Howard!, I may have an answer for this one,just by looking at the the pictures I can see a possible entrance,but I have to check it further,before Monday night,I hope,sure going to try.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: Motor Parkway Parking Space Adjacent to Long Island Aviation Country Club

From Tim G:

Thanks for posting the block about the Wright Flying Field photo. I see it was posted more than a year ago, but I just stumbled across it while searching for information about the field. I’m working on an article about someone who learned to fly there, but I’ve only had a vague sense of where the school was located and what it looked like. It’s interesting that this photo has been in my own backyard all along (Fairborn is close to Miamisburg). I’m now trying to contact Allan Routt through the Fairborn Historical Society.
Tim

From Mystery Foto #99: The Wright Flying Field in Mineola Circa 1916/1917

Great find, Gary.

From The 1944 Proposal for "A Nassau County Park at Salisbury" in East Meadow

What an unexpected surprise meet! It MUST be a small world after all. Richard, what were your measurement findings.

From Searching for the Site of the Long Island Aviation Country Club & the Grandstands Updated 5/3/16

Howard,
“In 1822 land was donated next to the church for a cemetery, which remained there until the 1950s, when the land was sold. Those buried there were reinterred in the Cemetery of the Evergreens on the Queens/Brooklyn border, where one stone marks the church’s dead.”

Scroll down about 40%
https://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/pdfs/13000696.pdf

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

We all knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I always figured whoever supply’s the mystery photo already knows the answer. But it sounds like Howard and Al were figuring this out along with us.
______________________________
From Howard Kroplick

Brian, we were!

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Too much for me to comprehend!  But thanks Howard and Al for your detailed analysis.  Once I thought it was a church cemetery I went searching for churches and found one, but not the right one.  And by that time I was exhausted with this photo.
Amazing the sign is still there.  If you look closely, you’ll see a few parkway posts too. And then there’s a bridge I have for sale.  So what if April Fools Day was just a few days ago.  Thanks for the challenge guys.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Queens Blvd. at 54th Avenue.
The historic First Presbyterian Church of Newtown.
Sign is pointing left (southeast) towards the western terminus of
the LIMP at Peck Avenue and Horace Harding Blvd. (today’s LIE).
Year about 1925 ?
Auto makes unknown.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

BTW, this church was at the center of the Revolutionary War. Incredible story.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928

Good one Al. 2nd attempt: OK, I grew old trying to figure this out and still not sure. The Newtown First Presbyterian church hint helps.  I believe the mystery photo was always looking NW (NE for the church hint photo), so I’m assuming the church/cemetery once stood on Hoffman Blvd’s northside. That would also explain the signs direction. So going with that, we’re at the intersection of today’s Queens Blvd and Broadway/Grand Ave looking NW. The sign is directing to turn onto Broadway, then turn right onto Corona Ave, go over Strong’s Causeway bridge, follow to North Hemp Tpke to the Rocky Hill Lodge. Baffling is the fact that during the church’s relocation in 1924, it was moved only 125 ft south, to accommodate the mostly southward expansion of Hoffman Blvd (Queens Blvd). That’s not enough space to move it from the northside to the southside of the boulevard. Anticipating this week’s answers

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: A Motor Parkway Sign at Queens Boulevard and Grand Avenue Circa 1928