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Middletown, CT

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08-06-09
George Souto
George Souto: Mortgage Company in Middletown, CT

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Info about the author:

George Souto is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, andConventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 or gsouto@mccuemortgage.com

Speechless Sunday

08-02-09
George Souto
George Souto: Mortgage Company in Middletown, CT

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Info about the author:

George Souto is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, andConventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 or gsouto@mccuemortgage.com

Stone Post Gardens, Middletown, Connecticut

08-01-09
George Souto
George Souto: Mortgage Company in Middletown, CT

After you have purchased your beautiful new home in Middletown, Connecticut, and gone to Smith & Bishel for your new locks, paint, and all the tools and supplies that you will need to prepare you house for moving in. You will next want to go to the Stone Post Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut to get plants and flowers to spruce up the outside of your beautiful new home.

The Stone Post Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut, is located right on Randolph Road, RT 155. At the Stone Post Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut, you will find all of the plants and flowers that you are looking for to make your beautiful new house standout from all the others in the neighborhood.

The Stone Post Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut is a family owned and run business by the Eddinger Family. The Eddinger’s started growing plants for customers on their property in 1992, when their oldest son Matthew at the young age of 15, use money that he had saved to purchase a greenhouse. Since then his four brothers, his mother Bobbi, and father Rich have been helping him run the business.

By 2003 the business was growing more and more, and had out grown the greenhouse that Matthew had bought. It was time to move to a new location, and that location would be the main throughway in the South Farms area of Middletown, Randolph Road, RT 155.

It was at this point that the business became known as the Stone Post Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut. At first the new and bigger greenhouse was a plastic structure, but it enabled the Eddinger’s to increase what they were growing and offering to the public. As you can see from this picture, the flowers and plants are outstanding, and whatever you are looking for you will find here. The Stone Post Gardens became so popular and grew so quickly the plastic greenhouse was soon replaced with the structure you see today.

When you step into the Stone Post Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut, you quickly experience what the Eddinger Family strives to create, “a unique and enjoyable shopping experience where customers can see how to use plants in their individual gardens”. The Eddingers grow over 120,000 plants, and every plant is grown by the Eddinger’s in greenhouses that have been built on their Farm on Chamberlain Road in Middletown.

Once you have visited the Stone Post Gardens in Middletown, Connecticut, there will be no question that you will come again, especially during the holidays to buy a plant for that special person in your life.

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Info about the author:

George Souto is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, andConventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 or gsouto@mccuemortgage.com

Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut

07-30-09
George Souto
George Souto: Mortgage Company in Middletown, CT

When I do a Mortgage Loan for a Borrower, one of the first things that I always advise them to do is to replace all of the locks on their new house as soon as possible, and the place that I tell them to go to is Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut. They can go to one of the big boys like Home Depot, or Lowe's, but non of those places will give them the type of personal and professional service like they will get from Scott Bishel at Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut.

Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut is probably the oldest business in Downtown Middletown. Smith & Bishel Hardware was started by Scott Bishel's Great, Great Grandfather in 1898. For those of you who have a hard time doing math, that is 111 years that this family owned and operated business has been around.

Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut is not only the place to go to get your new locks for your new home, it is also the place to go for your paint, tools, and other hardware necessities. Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut is especially a great place to go for those hard to find items, like special nuts & bolts, you name the size and shape and they have it.

You will even find things there like corks and faucets for wine barrels since Middletown was the home for many Italian immigrants, making your own wine was very popular, and Smith & Bishel Hardware catered to their needs. And that is exactly what Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut does, they cater to peoples needs.

One of the things that I have found Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut especially good for is special tools that you just can't seem to find anywhere else. But living in an older house the need for special wrenches and other odd ball items are needed more often then I would care to admit. Scott Bishel is also a professional Locksmith, and I have found the need for his services more than once.

Smith & Bishel Hardware In Middletown, Connecticut has been and will continue to be one of my go to places for hardware needs, and one of the first places that I will continue to tell my Borrowers to go visit.

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Info about the author:

George Souto is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, andConventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 or gsouto@mccuemortgage.com

Harborpark In Middletown, Connecticut

07-29-09
George Souto
George Souto: Mortgage Company in Middletown, CT

The Harborpark area in Middletown, Connecticut has played an important role in the development of the Connecticut River, the City of Middletown, and the State of Connecticut, from the early days of Indian settlements, to the present day.

Settled by the English and early Pilgrims, Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut quickly developed into an important port along the river. Shipbuilding began on almost as soon as the first settlers arrived. Shipbuilding and steamboat construction became a major industry. Many of our fighting ships in the Revolutionary and Civil wars were launched from Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut, including the first commissioned warship in the newly established United States NavyHarborpark in Middletown, Connecticut was also the home base during the Revolutionary War for many colonial warships.

After the Revolutionary War, Middletown was established as one of the four official ports in Connecticut having a custom house. By the second half of the eighteenth century Middletown was the largest town in the State, and the river's most important seaport. One of its most important products shipped from Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut was the brownstone from quarries in nearby Portland.

In 1824 Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut became an important port for Steamboats servicing between Hartford and New York. Shipping and railroad companies competed with one another until 1931, when the last steamboat to New York made its way down the Connecticut River. The automobile and trucking had taken over as the main source of transportation.

Because of this for the next several decades, Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut was neglected. Pollution from upstream factories, and gradual erosion over the river banks because of flooding made the river an unpleasant place, causing the town to turn its back on it. Also the construction of Route 9 during the 1950's, further separated the downtown from the river. The only thing that remained to connect the river to the city was a pedestrian tunnel under the highway which quickly became an unpleasant place to walk through. Not much good could be said about Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut. This was indeed the low point of Middletown's riverfront.

In the late 1960's City Officials becoming more and more concerned over Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut run down condition, and the need of more economic activity in the city, as well as an awareness that Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut was too valuable a resource to continue to ignore. As a result City Officials took major steps to change things around, and make Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticutt a place that people would want to use again.

In 1972 a Harbor Improvement Agency was organized, and produced a plan for bring back Harborpark in Middletown Connecticut to a place that people throughout the State would want to come to again. Ground was broken on “June 15, 1977 for a project which included 1,500 feet of shoreline protection, bulkheading, rip rapping a boardwalking system, docking facilities for small and large excursion craft, launching facilities for high school and college crews, utilities for river craft and the structural rehabilitation of the former Middletown Yacht Club building.”

In Late 1977 the city constructed a boathouse for the Middletown rowing programs, parking, landscaping, recreational facilities, picnicking areas, gazebos, and a pavilion. The completed project which was dedicated in June 10, 1979, became known as "Harborpark".

The work of the Harbor Improvement Agency did not end with the construction of a new public area. For decades, the riverfront area had been avoided by the citizens of Middletown because of its negative reputation. So the city took steps to bring activities, and people back to Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut. The first major activity to be scheduled at Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut was the Head of the Connecticut Regatta. Since then Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut has been the host of many other events such as the Italian Festival, Emerson Regatta for schoolboy rowing, as well as all the home races of the Wesleyan and Middletown crews during the Spring and Fall rowing seasons. In 1990 the 4th of July Fire Works were move form Palmer Field to the river, and 1991 brought on two new events the Black Arts Festival in April, and The Middlesex Triathlon of which I am proud to say that I chaired in 1992, as the incoming President for the Middletown Exchange Club. This was our main event to effort to raise money for abused kids programs.

After several attempts to bring a restaurant to Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut, the Harbor Improvement Agency in 1980 found a developer for a restaurant in the old Middletown Yacht club facility. The restaurant has change names and had several owners over the years. It has also been the victim of several floods, especially in the early 80’s when the water on the Connecticut River rose over 27 feet and flooding the restaurant all the way up to the second floor. Today it is known as the Harborpark Restaurant, and is a very popular spot for lunch Dinner, and special events, as well as being a popular spot for night time entertainment.

In the 90’s the city purchase an additional parcel of land adjacent to Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut, and constructed a small park in honor of Christopher Columbus.

Today Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut is once again well known throughout and a great place to stop at when traveling through Middletown Connecticut.

Sources of Information:

Middletown, by David G. Sparks, published by the city of Middletown, copyright 1980.

Getting To Know The Connecticut River, by Elizabeth Gemming, published by Cowaard, McCann & Geoghegan, Inc. New York, copyright 1974.

The City of Middletown Municipal Development Department, William M. Kuehn, Jr. Director.

The City of Middletown Arts & Culture Department, Corine Gill Director.

And My Own Personal Knowledge of Harborpark in Middletown, Connecticut

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Info about the author:

George Souto is a Loan Officer who can assist you with all your FHA, CHFA, andConventional mortgage needs in Connecticut. George resides in Middlesex County which includes Middletown, Middlefield, Durham, Cromwell, Portland, Higganum, Haddam, East Haddam, Chester, Deep River, and Essex. George can be contacted at (860) 573-1308 or gsouto@mccuemortgage.com