Article “1908: The Great American Auto Race Comes to Syosset/Woodbury” By Tom Montalbano
Tom Montalbano, author of the the Arcadia book "Syosset", has written this excellent article on the impact of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race on Syosset and Woodbury.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
The Great American Auto Race Comes to Syosset/Woodbury
By Tom Montalbano
The six Vanderbilt Cup International Automobile Races held on Long Island between 1904 and 1910 were not only the most spectacular sporting events of their day, but also the catalysts that brought some of New York City’s most prominent residents to our area for the very first time. In fact, the 1908 race may signify a major turning point in the Syosset-Woodbury area’s history – a point at which a more “sophisticated” class of people discovered our area and began to transform it from a sleepy farming community into a bustling playground for the rich and famous.
Conceived of and sponsored by 26-year-old William K. Vanderbilt II of the renowned and financially endowed shipping and railroad family, the Vanderbilt Cup Races were the first international automobile road competitions held in the United States, at a time when Syosset- Woodbury farmers still considered the automobile far inferior to their horse-drawn wagons. The wealthy Manhattan elite who could afford this new luxury instantly embraced the “horseless carriage,” and many became automobile fanatics.
Initially run over public dirt and gravel roads from Queens to Suffolk County, the Vanderbilt Cup Races quickly deteriorated into a safety hazard as throngs of spectators, unaware of the damage a vehicle traveling at such high speed could inflict, lined the non-barricaded roads to cheer the drivers and capture photographs. Finally, after a vehicle lost control and killed a spectator at the 1906 race, Vanderbilt and a committee of some of his wealthiest friends convened and decided to build their own private roadway for the next event.
By 1908, Vanderbilt’s team had completed nine miles of the $2 million Long Island Motor Parkway and decided to schedule the next Vanderbilt Cup Race for Saturday, October 24th. Despite objections from residents and politicians, the 1908 route also incorporated 14.46 miles of public roads, including portions of Woodbury Road and Jericho Turnpike that pass through Woodbury and Syosset. Prior to this event, the nearest the race had come to our area was a sharp turn at the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Routes 106/107 in Jericho. The 1908 course, after reaching the north end of Manetto Hill Road, turned right onto Woodbury Road and continued all the way to Jericho Turnpike, making a sharp left turn just after the Woodbury School.
Comments
Great post!