The Long Island Motor Parkway

The Long Island Motor Parkway
Author: Howard Kroplick
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008-09-01
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 143963629X

The Long Island Motor Parkway was constructed at a pivotal time in American history, and it often considered a precursor to the modern highway system. A forerunner of the modern highway system, the Long Island Motor Parkway was constructed during the advent of the automobile and at a pivotal time in American history. Following a spectator death during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, the concept for a privately owned speedway on Long Island was developed by William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and his business associates. It would be the first highway built exclusively for the automobile. Vanderbilt's dream was to build a safe, smooth, police-free road without speed limits where he could conduct his beloved automobile races without spectators running onto the course. Features such as the use of reinforced concrete, bridges to eliminate grade crossings, banked curves, guardrails, and landscaping were all pioneered for the parkway. Reflecting its poor profitability and the availability of free state-built public parkways, the historic 48-mile Long Island Motor Parkway closed on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1938.

Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island

Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island
Author: Howard Kroplick
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738557519

aChain your dogs and lock up your fowls!a heralded posters announcing the first international road race in the United States and the first of the six William K. Vanderbilt Jr. Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910. These races were the most prestigious sporting events of their day, drawing huge crowds from 25,000 to over 250,000 spectators. The Vanderbilt Cup Races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways and are a testament to the early racing spirit and drama. The rare images in this book, many published for the first time, have been selected from the archives of major museums, libraries, and private collectors.

Willie K. Vanderbilt II

Willie K. Vanderbilt II
Author: Steven H. Gittelman
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2014-10-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0786458232

The Vanderbilts were one of the great American families of the industrial era. This book explores the life of one of its lesser-known scions of the fourth generation, William Kissam Vanderbilt II, known simply as Willie K. An inheritor, not a builder, Willie K. lacked the drive and ambition necessary for furthering the Vanderbilt dynasty, especially in the political atmosphere of bank failures, the dawn of progressivism, and the First World War. This biography, while the story of one man, is also an exploration of the burden of enormous wealth, the danger of inherited dreams, and the struggle for self-actualization regardless of wealth or social status.

The Legend of the First Super Speedway

The Legend of the First Super Speedway
Author: Mark Dill
Publisher: BookBaby
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2020-11-09
Genre: Antiques & Collectibles
ISBN: 1098335163

"The Legend of the First Super Speedway," is a gritty tale punctuated by humor that chronicles the hero's journey through the pioneering age of American auto racing. It is a factual, previously untold story that must be read for a thorough understanding of auto racing history.

Hey Long Island... Do U Remember?

Hey Long Island... Do U Remember?
Author: Stacy Mandel Kaplan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2022-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781772761696

Hey Long Island . . . Do U Remember? began in 2008 when two lifelong friends from Oceanside, New York started a Facebook group to share pictures and history of Long Island's iconic places, themes and landmarks. Hey Long Island . . . Do U Remember? is now one of the largest New York history groups on Facebook with more than 142,000 members sharing pictures and information about Long Island's colourful past. Hey Long Island . . . Do U Remember? offers us a window into the past, showing life as it was then, and stirring in us the emotions of wonder and curiosity about those who have gone before us and the lives they lived. With more than 130 photographs, many of them seen here for the first time, Hey Long Island... Do U Remember? offers a stunning portrait of this one-of-a-kind place.

Hidden History of Long Island

Hidden History of Long Island
Author: Richard Panchyk
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2016
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467136271

"Long Island's history is filled with fascinating firsts, magnificent mansions and fascinating characters. From Glenn Curtiss, the first pilot to fly a plane on the island, to Earle Ovington, who carried the country's first airmail, the area has been known as the cradle of aviation. Millionaire William K. Vanderbilt's Long Island Motor Parkway, remnants of which still remain, was the nation's first highway. The desolate ruins of an exiled Albanian king's estate lie in the midst of the woods of the Muttontown Preserve. Captain William Kidd, pirate chaser turned pirate, is rumored to have buried treasure on the island. Richard Panchyk reveals the rapidly vanishing traces of Long Island's intriguing history"--Publisher description.

The Fire Island National Seashore

The Fire Island National Seashore
Author: Lee E. Koppelman
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 222
Release: 2008-02-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0791478890

A comprehensive account of the history of the Fire Island National Seashore since its creation in 1964.

The Long Island Motor Parkway

The Long Island Motor Parkway
Author: Howard Kroplick
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2008
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738557939

A forerunner of the modern highway system, the Long Island Motor Parkway was constructed during the advent of the automobile and at a pivotal time in American history. Following a spectator death during the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race, the concept for a privately owned speedway on Long Island was developed by William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and his business associates. It would be the first highway built exclusively for the automobile. Vanderbilt's dream was to build a safe, smooth, police-free road without speed limits where he could conduct his beloved automobile races without spectators running onto the course. Features such as the use of reinforced concrete, bridges to eliminate grade crossings, banked curves, guardrails, and landscaping were all pioneered for the parkway. Reflecting its poor profitability and the availability of free state-built public parkways, the historic 48-mile Long Island Motor Parkway closed on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1938.

Bethpage

Bethpage
Author: John Logerfo
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2015
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467122777

Located on New York's Long Island in Nassau County, the quaint, tight-knit town of Bethpage was established as a settlement for the Thomas Powell family in 1687. In the early years, it consisted of a few small villages of farmers. In 1884, the Long Island Rail Road extended through Bethpage, which was renamed Central Park. Many businesses opened up around the station, bringing the town to the attention of land buyers, which had an enormous impact on the growth of the community. It was here that the ground-breaking ceremony for William Vanderbilt's Motor Parkway opened in 1906 for the Vanderbilt Cup Races. This notoriety brought people to the town, as well as businesses, restaurants, and hotels, most notably the world-renowned Beau Sejour, which catered to aristocrats, socialites, and movie stars. The name Central Park was eventually changed back to Bethpage in 1936. Long Island State Parks commissioner Robert Moses soon opened the Bethpage State Park, with its five golf courses. Bethpage gained recognition for being the longtime home of the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, producers of Navy fighter aircraft and the Apollo lunar module, which landed men on the moon. Bethpage retains its sense of pride in its rich and historic heritage

Mad for Speed

Mad for Speed
Author: Elsa A. Nystrom
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2013-06-06
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1476602719

This book covers Joan Newton Cuneo's life, and her roles (from 1905 to 1915) as the premier female racer in the United States and spokeswoman for women drivers and good roads. Beginning with her family history and marriage to Andrew Cuneo, it traces her life in New York society, the birth of her children, and Joan's growing interest in automobile touring and racing and partnership with Louis Disbrow, her racing mechanic. The book covers Joan's experiences in three Glidden Tours, including her notes on the 1907 tour, her first races, and her rivals. It also looks at the growth and change of automobile culture and the battles for control of racing among the American Automobile Association, the Automobile Club of America, and the American Automobile Manufacturers Association--which ended in banishing women racers shortly after Joan's greatest racing victories at New Orleans (in 1909). The book then follows Joan's attempts to continue racing, the end of her marriage, her move to the Upper Peninsula, and her remarriage and death. The book also includes a chapter on her female rivals in racing and touring.