Vanderbilt Cup Races

Okay, I admit it- I really enjoy the treasure hunt for new Vanderbilt Cup Race and Long Island Motor Parkway photos and memorabilia. As a result, I currently have a over 25,000 images and 150 collectibles collected over a five year period.

However, this quest will never end until every inch of the Motor Parkway and every car and corner of the Vanderbilt Cup Races are documented. As suggested by Mitch Kaften, this week I made contact with three new sources of photos; the New York Life Archives based in Virginia, the NYC Parks Archives and the Queens Borough Topographic Services. The result was the discovery of over 100 new aerials and images of the Motor Parkway including; the spectacular shots of the elusive Western Terminus in Fresh Meadows and the opening of the Queens Bike Path on July 9, 1938. I will be posting many of these images over the next few weeks as rights are approved.

The first image is from the Queens Borough President's Collection showing a Motor Parkway Sign on Springfield Boulevard at the intersection of Hillside Avenue on January 22, 1931. The sign provides the direction to the entrance of the Motor Parkway approximately 1/2 mile away. The sign was in front of a Super X station where gasoline was selling for 12 cents a gallon plus 2 cents tax. Times have certainly changed!

Note the Police Signal Station opposite the sign. Anyone know the purpose of these stations?

Enjoy the Holidays,

Howard Kroplick