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The Aeronautic Society of New York

The membership had grown to a total of eighty, and all efforts were being devoted to a hunt for suitable grounds. Every likely place within fifty miles of New York was visited, so that nothing good might be missed, and nearly a couple of months were spent in the search.

What the Society needed in the way of ground was not very easy to find. Free, open space over which to fly was not alone sufficient. It was equally, if not, indeed, still more necessary, that the grounds should be close to the city. For it was the ambition of the Society to have its grounds so near at hand that the distance should place no obstacle in the way even of the poorest inventor who wanted to run out to the workshops and devote his spare hours to the material realization of his ideas.

[[image - black & white photograph of Morris Park Track and Club House]]

[[caption]] A View of Morris Park and the Club House. Headquarters of the Aeronautic Society [[/caption]]

At last, the famous old racetrack at Morris Park was decided upon, and, although it was already marked for residential development, a lease was obtained holding it up to Dec. 31st, 1909. The location was perfect, and the spot seemed ideal. The track had not been used for horse racing for some years, but automobile races had been held, and both the track and the infield had been kept in very good condition. There were also large sheds ready, with a little fixing, to become workshops and aero garages. And the use of a large room was obtained in the fine old clubhouse for the holding of meetings, and as an office.

Containing in one clear, level space so much as 327 acres, Morris Park was more considerable in extent than could have been hoped for, so close within reach of the city. In fact, it was part of the city. Except for the posts marking the old race courses, which could be moved, it was free from obstructions, and seemed made for a perfect aerodrome. It was within a short walk of the subway as West Farms or Bronx Park. Trolley cars ran up to it. It lay within a forty minutes', 5-cent, journey from the centre of New York. Within a minute's walk of the workshops were good and inexpensive cafes. Just across the grounds lay one of the best and most fashionable hotels of the city. For those who wished permanent quarters in the district, there was considerable choice among the houses; and rent was cheap. Consequently, there was, right at hand, every possible sort of accommodation that might be required.

The first of those gatherings, which subsequently became so famous and popular at the Park on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, took place on Aug. 29th and 30th, 1908. The regular weekly meetings were held in the Society's room in the big, lawn and flower-surrounded clubhouse, and in the warm evenings of the Summer and Fall were very delightful occasions. Several lectures of note were also given there. It is safe, however, to believe that, great as were the hopes on that first Saturday afternoon, when the members met to view the new grounds, and to foreshadow the future, none, even among the most enthusiastic, imagined then the progress which was to be made within a few months.

It was notable, historical little gathering, and one that may well be recalled with feelings even deeper than pleasure. It was the first time in the history of the world that a group of citizens had ever gazed out over a wide tract of land they had taken for the purposes of mechanical flight. The Society that day set an example that was soon to

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