Zulal

This just in : From the Neighborhood News Columns of The Patchogue Advance , May 1911.

Fact is I've known for some time that Claire Knapp was a horsewoman probably before she ever focused on her legendary show dogs. Her granddaughter told me that on the phone back in September 2001 "I have a photo of my grandmother on horseback that I'll ask my mother if you can have" ......... and since then I have found many articles in the N.Y. Times about Claires equestrian adventures. Including those as the only woman silky (trotter) racer at the Mineola Fairgrounds in the early 1900's. I will be adding those to this page in the near future, but for now I'd like to kick off this page with what I feel is a very lucky find that hits very close to home. The back yard of the Mastic Beach Knapp Mansion that I'm sure still holds many buried treasures. I'd love to get into the underground tunnel....... One particular horse that she owned and showed and seems to mentioned by name a great deal around 1910 was Zulal. In fact she was thrown from Zulal at a show in New Jersey.

Adolph Almasy who has been a lifelong friend of mine (we had our first band together in high school) lived literally in the back yard of Knapp's Mastic Beach Mansion. In fact he is still looking for a photo that his Dad took of his sister Marguerite and himself around 1951 that clearly shows the entire north face of mansion (PLEASE KEEP LOOKING PAL!!) It was in the 1950's when his Dad was digging a garden that he unearthed this treasure. Could this be a shoe from one of the Knapps horses? Highly Probable ...owing to its location, a and condition.....And could it be one of ZULALS?

 

 

 

THE MARK OF ZULAL?

 

This was Claire's backyard in Greenlawn where she lived from 1912 - 1916 prior to moving to her Mastic estate. It is highly likely the Mastic Beach land where the Almasy house was built (between Dogwood & Lacrosse) once resembled this scene, with horse exercise corrals etc. I know there were several barns in the immediate area, as I used to play in them

MORE TO COME....STAY TUNED

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