Many of my ancestors did a lot of traveling across the
United States but today I will talk about travel close to home.
Ruth Moore
with her father John N. Moore Sr.
There is a road nearby called the Long Island Motor
Parkway or Vanderbilt Motor Parkway. It was built and used from 1908 to 1910,
for auto races by William K. Vanderbilt II. It was a 48-mile race track and it
drew international attention. The two-lane concrete speedway stretched from
Queens County, NY to Vanderbilt's Petit Trianon Hotel on the Islip County side
of Ronkonkoma Lake. The hotel was fashioned after an 18th-Century building at
the Palace of Versailles in France. It was the site of swank parties enjoyed by
Long Island's elite after their drive through the countryside. Some of roadway
is still in use today but many parts have been built on.
Petit Trianon Hotel
My Mother, Ruth Moore (1919-1956), travelled many times
with her parents during the 1920’s. The Moore family lived in Brooklyn, New
York and went from there to Ronkonkoma Lake to spend the day swimming, diving
and relaxing.
Lake Ronkonkoma
My grandfather would always tell us what a good time they
had. I have some beach pictures with the family in them, but am not sure if they were taken at the Lake.
When I was little our family moved to Levittown, New
York. It was a brand new community and the roads were still not paved. At one
end of my road was half of an overpass that was part of the Long Island
Motorway. My grandfather would say he passed by our land many times when it was
just a potato farm. After looking at old maps indicating the complete 48 miles
of the road I can see he did actually go passed our house when it was just farm
land.
Map of Long Island with Vanderbilt Motor Parkway Indicated
