Sea Beach Spur to the Gravesend Race Track in 1891?

Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
Author:  Bien, Joseph Rudolp (1858-1950)
Date of Map: 1891
Scale: 1:31,680
Page IV, Series 7
Phillips 2150
Copywrite2005
  Folks, I took this clip off another on line map site, called "David Rumsey Historical Map Collection".  There is great stuff there.  As I was looking at the Gravesend Race Track area from 1891, I noticed that on the map, there appears to be a spur from the Sea Beach Line, that was steam at the time and ran on the surface to the Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend Avenue.  I did not know of this and I am not sure if it existed.  The race track loop, as seen in the above map, is slightly out of place compared to my 1924 Aerial posting.  The race track path was much closer (the northern part) to Ocean Parkway than shown on the map.  Notice the streams that cross Ocean Parkway and Coney Island Avenues.  Notice a Johnston Avenue which does not exist now.  This Sea Beach spur, if existed, and shown on the map, run perpendicular to Gravesend Avenue and meet the Race Track at right angles.

Three Brooklyn Race Tracks in 1913: What Happened to Kings Highway?

In the map below, I brought in the 1913 Street Railway Map that shows interesting features besides the then running streetcar lines.  The former Brooklyn race tracks, the Gravesend, Brighton and Sheepshead Bay were still around according to the map, but mapped under different names.  Notice that the Gravesend Race Track near Gravesend Avenue (Mcdonald Avenue) had a different shape than what I posted earlier.  Perhaps the land was being developed.  I looked closely and on the 1913 grid, I did not see  Kings Highway which is the northern boundary of the former race track.  I then brought in the modern street grid and it shows the position were it should be, eventhough I am slightly off due to georeferencing problems.  The Nostrand Avenue Trolley, which according to the 1913 map is slightly off from my grid, but it shows that it ends at Avenue T before it reaches the Coney Island Jockey Club ( formerly the Sheepshead Bay Race Track?).  It is possible that the 1913 map has some errors in it if it is missing Kings Highway.  The trackage on Nostrand Avenue may have been single tracked between Kings Highway and Avenue T at this time and Nostrand Avenue ended before reaching the race track. To be continued.   The picture below the map comes from a picture website called http://www.brooklynpix.com.  This 1915 picture shows the right of way of the Culver Line on McDonald (then Gravesend Avenue) facing north from Avenue T.  If you look to the right, you can make out the extensive race track buildings that were still in existence at that time and probably little land development took place by that time.  The present day steel elevated did not open to 1919.

1924 Aerial of Gravesend Race Track Pathway with recent Building Footprint

In the attached map, I took the 1924 aerial of the Gravesend Race Track former area in Brooklyn off McDonald Avenue and georeferenced it to today's maps.  I included a recent (2009?) building footprint layer.  By looking at the shadow of the oval raceway runway, you can see how far away was the main pathway from your building if you live in the area.  The runway runs just south of Kings Highway, along East 5th Street, crosses East 4th Street and Avenue T, bottoms out between Avenue T and Avenue U, and runs along East 1st Street parallel to the Culver El structure to Kings Highway.

Two Former Bklyn Race Tracks in one 1924 Aerial View

Sheepshead Bay Race Track Aerial View (Full) 1924

Here is a full view of the Sheepshead Bay Race Track pathway that was still visible in this 1924 aerial picture.  The long line on the left is Ocean Avenue. The area to the east of the former race track is Marine Park.  From this picture, it appears to me that the Sheepshead Bay Race Track may be larger than the Gravesend Race Track.  Rapid Transit service to the race track approached from the west at Ocean Avenue from the BRT Brighton Line and the LIRR Manhattan Beach branch and the Ocean Avenue Trolley.  (See prior posts)

Are these streetcars on the siding south of Ave T? - 1924 Aerial Photograph

The area of the former racetrack is towards the east and off the picture.

Gravesend(McDonald) Avenue Line Bklyn 1926-1940

Source:  B. Linder & Edward B. Watson, New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 20, Number 5, October 1977, Pages 2-9.

The above map covers the period between 1926 and 1940 when the steel elevated structure above Gravesend Avenue (McDonald Avenue) was already in operation.  Notice the red circled sidings at Kings Highway which was at a coal silo and the sidings north of Avenue U.  This later siding may be connected with the Gravesend Race Track.  However, from an earlier drawing, the Brooklyn Jockey Club siding was at Avenue T.  There is much to discuss here including the fact that this trackage was also served by the South Brooklyn Railway, which used electric trolley steeple locomotive to haul box cars for freight delivery to commercial customers along 37 Street and McDonald Avenue such as the coal company south of Kings Highway.  See earlier posting regarding Kensington Junction which is at Ditmas Avenue and McDonald Avenue.

Former Gravesend Race Track (Brooklyn) Pathway as seen in 1924 Aerial Photograph

Another 19th Century Race Track located near rapid transit was the Gravesend Race Track in Brooklyn.  It was situated roughly south of Kings Highway to Avenue U and between Ocean Parkway to McDonald (Gravesend) Avenue.  At Gravesend Avenue, the then steam operated Culver Line delivered customers to the door of the race track.  By 1924, the race track was gone after many years but you can still see the remains of the pathway.  In the 1924 aerial, you can see clearly the Culver Line which formerly ran on the surface but was now on an elevated structure.