Preserving Nassau’s motoring past

You wouldn’t expect to find a turn-of-the-century roadster ominously dubbed the “Black Beast” at a news conference convened by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, but that’s precisely what took center stage at a media event he held at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow on Friday.

Of course, the news conference was more a celebration of the county’s rich motoring history than it was a meeting of the press, with the Beast and a ring of shiny Ford Model A’s surrounding reporters.

Mangano, a Republican from Bethpage, had come to announce that the county had completed its “vision plan” for a 23-mile-long hiking and biking trail that will eventually wind through central Nassau and pass along the northern edge of Eisenhower Park. The trail will follow part of the old Vanderbilt Motor Parkway, a once private toll road built by wealthy entrepreneur William Vanderbilt in 1908.

The parkway remained in the Vanderbilt family’s hands until 1938, when the state took possession of it in lieu of back taxes owed and then closed it. The parkway, constructed of concrete, was the first road built in the U.S. exclusively for cars. It stretched for 45 miles from Queens to Lake Ronkonkoma and was replaced by the Northern State Parkway.

“Progress very often erases parts of history,” Mangano said. “Projects like this one can ensure that history is not forgotten, however. Establishing this trail will keep a part of Long Island’s history alive for many more generations.”

One of the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway’s principal attractions was the annual Vanderbilt Cup, a 30-mile motor race. The Black Beast, a six-cylinder, 100-horsepower gem of a racer built by the American Locomotive Company, won the cup in 1909 and 1910. In its heyday, the car cruised along at 68 miles per hour and was capable of hitting 100 mph on a straightaway. In all, the Beast captured six major racing titles, including a 10-mile race at the Indianapolis Speedway, where it was featured during the track’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2010.