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As kids we used to hike, starting in the LILCO right of way that was originally the Central Railroad of Long Island, a few hundred yards south of the East Village Green in Levittown. There was a big concrete slab that was probably a station of some sort. For years, we would regularly find track spikes along the way. Heading east, on the left as soon as we crossed Wantagh Avenue (well before the Eighth Precinct was built), were straw bales we used for archery practice. There were a few of them, regularly spaced and about halfway up a pretty big slope. I think I remember crude railings that were meant to shoot from behind. On the right was the huge sump, that's still there.
I believe after we crossed Hicksville Road is when we would first see the old paving that was what we called Old Motor Parkway. Very deteriorated with "woods" on either side. After crossing Stewart Avenue, we would sometimes build a fire to toast our bologna sandwiches, washing them down with warm, metallic tasting canteen water. I remember an original concrete bridge that went over the LIMP that we would climb up on. It might have been before or after Dead Man's Curve, where Central Av in Bethpage went over the not yet built 135.
At that point, we would usually follow the parkway into Bethpage State Park a little ways before returning, but occasionally we would go to the right to follow the LIRR tracks over Bethpage State Parkway towards Farmingdale. There was, maybe still is, a structure that I guess was some sort of signal building. We would usually stop before that and hang out by the side of the tracks. A few times we would put a penny on the track to be flattened by a train, fortunately never derailing one.
Might have been a total of five miles, there and back plus some little side excursions, but they were great adventures for us, and for me at least, some very fond memories.
I recently found an old 1924 map at a yard sale that shows the historic location of the entire parkway. Pretty interesting as it shows how all the remnants that still exist today were once connected.
I recently found an old 1924 map at a yard sale that shows the historic location of the entire parkway. Pretty interesting as it shows how all the remnants that still exist today were once connected.
vanderbilt museum would probably be interested in that if they don't have that specific one already.
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