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.

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.

"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.

While automobile races had been held in Europe earlier, it was not until after 1900 that organized races were held in the United States. These contests took the form of road races--usually over a series of connected links of the best roads available. The most important of the early races were held on Long Island, New York. As a result of the efforts of the Savannah Automobile Club, the International Grand Prize Race of the Automobile Club of America was held in Savannah, Georgia, for the first time in November of 1908 and was enormously successful. In 1910 and again in 1911 the most famous drivers and the finest racing cars from all over the world returned to the city for the Grand Prize Race. The 1911 event attracted thousands more who came to witness the famous Vanderbilt Cup Race, the fastest race of this length up to that time (291 miles in 3 hours and 56 minutes). Julian K. Quattlebaum was among those who lined the Savannah race course for a glimpse of the big Fiats, Loziers, and Mercedes that roared around the turns, across the finish line, and into autoracing history. He has written a new introduction to this edition and has gone through his collection of early photographs of the cars, the drivers, and the races to add to the generous selection of illustrations in the original edition.

Handsome treasury of 118 vintage pictures, accompanied by captions, document the Garden City Hotel fire (1899), the Vanderbilt Cup Race (1908), the first airmail flight departing from the Nassau Boulevard Aerodrome (1911), more.

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

Traces the story of gangster Michael Joseph Boyle, describing his activities as a corrupt leader of Chicago's most powerful union, his friendly relationship with Al Capone, and the controversial events surrounding the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup competition.