TANGIER BRIDGE IS
FALLING DOWN , FALLING DOWN , FALLING DOWN ...
or was that London Bridge?
Perhaps Both?
 |
TANGIER BRIDGE IS
FALLING DOWN , FALLING DOWN , FALLING DOWN ...
or was that London Bridge?
Perhaps Both?
|
|
The original proposed Tangier Bridge from 1911 with a distinctive old European flair as designed by Robert Anderson Pope for developer F. J. Quinby. The view is from Smith Point looking across narrow bay to Fire Island where Quinby planned an Atlantic City style development. Like most of Quinby's best laid plans for Tangier, the end results were quite different. But if you live in Shirley today odds are 95% that you are living on a street Quinby named back in 1911 and Robert Anderson Pope laid out.
The Tangier "Development Of The Century " story and pictures that I like to call "Early Shirley" has been on this website in various locations for well over 5 years or so. That and the other events that took place there, like the WW1 Knapp sea plane base with it's dog fights and crashes into the bridge and the silent movie making days with stars like Conway Tearle, Martha Mansfield and Rudolph Valentino are also all over this website due to the nature in which I found the photos and information and or they have found me. For those interested use the links below to see the rest of the story. But like the whole story I am trying to present both on website and in the several books I am endeavoring to finish this year. I have found just when you think I've seen it all ..... We haven't.
These next two very rare pictures that appear on this page along with some more to come in other locations , came my way in a most unique manner and a roundabout great distance. But in the land of the internet, distance is of no consequence. The My Take review that I did last month (May 08) on the book Welcome To Shirley, put me in touch with a Tom McGonigle, whose review of the same book appeared in the Los Angeles Times. I learned that Tom was from Patchogue, another place I once called home for a decade and not too far from my hometown (1950-1964) of Mastic Beach . After Tom poked around abit on my website, he told John Jett a friend of his of Patchogue about it who then also got in touch. John is a avid photographer and collector to say least. It turns out that his Dad, Harry Jett was stationed at The Smith Point Coast Guard Station during WW2 and he too was a photographer and collector of old photos with an immense collection of Fire Island Seashore stuff going back to the 1800's. Harry Jett was also the alternating Captain on the Shirley Ferry in the 1950's with Fred Strybing...... Small world but I wouldn't want to paint it.....however brought closer together thanks to "The Internets" as Dubya likes to call it and his pal from Alaska, Senator Ted Stevens describes as a series of pipes.... but then again I think Stevens thinks about pipes because he thinks about oil a lot... as does Dubya (does Dubya really think?) or you might say me thinks they seem to ..... whadda you think?.... But I digress .....however with Alaska in mind and the temperature hitting 96 degrees here in Nashville today ( 6/8/08 ) it's too hot to think, so take a look at John Jett's "ICE CAPADES VIEWS " of Smith Point in the 1920's ..... they are pretty cool.
IT'S THE WINTER OF 1927
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE JOHN JETT COLLECTION
AND THE ICE IS PILING UP ON BOTH SIDES OF THE OLD WOODEN TANGIER BRIDGE AT SMITH POINT, LONG ISLAND NY
WHEN FRED QUINBY HAD IT BUILT BY MICHAEL GILLESPIE IN 1911, IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE "TEMPORARY" UNTIL
THE PERMANENT TANGIER BRIDGE AS SHOWN IN THE ILLUSTRATION WAS BUILT. QUINBY WAS LONG GONE FROM THE SCENE AND SELLING TEMPORARY STOCK IN QUINBY OIL COMPANY BY THE TIME THESE PICS WERE TAKEN.
SHAZAM!
THERE SHE GOES ! FLOATING AWAY INTO THE BAY.... IT WOULD BE THIRTY TWO YEARS BEFORE THE CURRENT SMITH POINT BRIDGE WOULD SPAN NARROW BAY AGAIN.
MANY OF THESE PAGES LINKED HERE ALSO CONTAIN LINKS TO EVEN MORE STUFF ABOUT SMITH POINT.... BE SURE TO VISIT & LEARN.... YOU MIGHT WIN A BAR BET OR TWO
So Click Away
Quinby Took The Money Shirley Took The Plans
Colorful Tangier in Times Square
Knapp's Air Force At Smith Point
