Apr 24 2023

Mystery Friday Foto #16 likely solved: A section of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race course near Wantagh Avenue


Frank Femenias challenged you to solve this weekend's Mystery Foto.

Answers to Mystery Foto questions:

Identify:

  • The location and orientation of the photographer. Provide a rationale.

Likely the Motor Parkway looking east in the Hempstead Plains with the Wantagh Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge on the right. Rationale: The top of the Massapequa Lodge and the Massapequa-Hicksville Motor Parkway Bridge may be seen in the background.

  • The Long Island Motor Parkway structures

See above.

  • The approximate date of the photo

October 1908. Rationale: One of this six postcards series is dated May 10, 1909. Can you identify the locations in the other five postcards?

Kudos question: Identify the postcard series.

Still a mystery!

Comments (2)

Congrats and kudos to David Miller for solving this weeken's Mystery Foto!

 

 

Enjoy,

Howard Kroplick


Close-Ups

Arrow #1: May be pointing to the top of the Massapequa Lodge

Arrow #2: May be the Massapequa-Hicksville Motor Parkway Bridge

Arrow #3: May be the Wantagh Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge

Reverse side of the postcard dated: May 10, 1909

Copy: "Many thanks for the Papers and so glad to get them. We had so much rain ,Fred is busy at work, have some chicks and more coming regards to all Annie"


Can you identify the other locations in this 1908 postcard series?

#1

#2

#3

#5

#6


Comments

Apr 21 2023 David Miller 3:21 PM

My best guess is that the photographer is on the north side of the Motor Parkway facing east, just west of the Wantagh avenue bridge that is in the distance.  The kid in the picture is looking west to what I would assume would be oncoming racers.  We also just barely might be able to make out the top of the Massapequa lodge in the distance to the left of the bridge.  This is probably the 1908 VCR held on October 24th but I’m not really sure about that.  I’m mostly curious about where this picture was taken.

Apr 23 2023 Steve Lucas 8:46 PM

Could be looking west with the Newbridge Road bridge in the distance. The trees look like those near the Newbridge Hotel. Another possible structure is the fencing for the parking lot for spectators of the 1908 V. C. Race. Date is probably October 24, 1908. The style of the card is similar to the set of 12 Locomobile cards but I don’t think that’s correct.

Apr 25 2023 John Erb 4:27 PM

I would definitely be interested in more info on the other postcards. Obvioulsy a couple are very obvious, but some are not.

Apr 25 2023 Brian D McCarthy 9:13 PM

#3 - Believe this is viewing north on the LIMP, then curves east under the Plainview Rd HWY Bridge in Bethpage. #5 - This view is similar to the Mystery Foto, but I believe this viewing west on the LIMP, with the PKWY Bridge over Wantagh Ave. #6 - Purely a guess, but this may be viewing west on the LIMP, between the Bloomingdale Rd HWY Bridge and the Wantagh Ave PKWY Bridge, with the auto heading east.

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