Middletown Remembered

While driving into my old hometown of Middletown, NY for a family reunion, I decided to take a detour to see my old childhood home. While on my way to the house, I passed a sight that inspired a series of vivid memories; I suddenly knew my way around the town without GPS and could get to almost all of the important spots from my childhood, ages 3-11. This video is a narrated tour of that trip.

[@fuddrucker74]

That was great

[@careycabral3509]

born at horton hosptital , lived on schutt road, and went to middletown schools ...miss it though...thank u so much for the tour lots of memories

[@cahicks1]

Thank you for posting, brought back lots of memories.

[@CutMoFo]

Don't believe in Stop signs, huh? lol. Thanks for the memories. I grew up in Middletown through the 60s and 70s.

[@wildkev1010]

My parents both grew up there. Still have family that lives there. Seems so crazy since we moved to So-Cal in 2000. Some of my family's last names are Sweeney, Boyce, Whitman. Heard of any?

[@jazz_addict7079]

Thanks for the tour. I grew up in Middletown during the 50's, 60's. I remember recess in "the pit" at Memorial school.

[@usermikes]

My family left Middletown in 1957...We moved to Queens, NY...We use to live on Maryland Ave. in Middletown..Us kids would some times go up to the State Hospital, and run around there..Use to be a big rock we use to climb on..It had fools gold all around..I some times wonder if the rock is still there..

[@sense321]

The only thing I miss about Middletown is the colonial diner

[@howardreed6969]

I was hitchhiking and wound up in Middletown. I went to Tom petty w/ Replacements at the Race Track. Wound up working and living there (Excelsior ave by the fire dept....) till hurricane hugo, Enjoyed your video very much

[@fjdubya5726]

I lived on Hanford St. (near Rock Fantasy) as a toddler in the early 70's. Also Ridgewood Ave in the suburb known as Mechanicstown. In the late 70's I lived on a dirt lane near Crystal Run when Crystal Run Rd was also a dirt road and cows and tractors would be on the road at any given time. I used to sit on a stone wall and watch the sunset over a field where today there is Holiday Inn. My mom and I used to shop at Lloyd's and Orange Plaza alot. I never got over the Orange Plaza being replaced by the Galleria. I loved that mall. My friends and I used to get stoned and hang out in the arcade or record store for hours. My stepfather's parent's house was nestled against Hillside Cemetery near Monhagen Ave and the public works. I lived there off and on until 2007. We also lived on North Beacon St in 1983-85. I went to Scotchtown Ave school, Truman Moon school, Academy Avenue School and Chorley School for various grades...but I ended up going to middle school and high school in Pine Bush. For almost 10 years I worked at ShopRite on Rt211 behind the fair grounds...from 1991 to 2000. That store isnt there anymore. I moved to western P.A. in 2007, and last visited Middletown in June 2019. I probably won't be back there anytime soon as I have no remaining family living near there.

[@thomasdowling6594]

Do you remember the old Erie line through Middletown?

[@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh]

what is in place of Lloyds plaza do you know now?

[@fjdubya5726]

@@thomasdowling6594 I do! I used to pick and eat berries and watch the trains pass right by when I was 3. Back then you could expect to wait for a freight train on your way to the supermarket on any given day. Where do I know your name from?? Seriously! It really sounds familiar. It seems to me my family knew some Dowlings. My stepfather's surname is Marcellus. His family had a house by Hillside Cemetery for over 50 years, maybe closer to 60.

[@fjdubya5726]

@@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh I think there's a Stop & Shop or a Shop Rite now. A gas station too, but not in exactly the same spot. More like where Lloyd's garden center was. The parking lot and several small businesses, like banks etc, are where the actual store was. I remember Lloyd's restaurant, the barber shop and the coin shop from way back! And I remember that wooded hill in back. We used to drive cars up there and party in our teens.

[@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh]

@@fjdubya5726 garden shop ? I don't recall where was that in relation to the barber shop? I got my hair cuts there.

[@WestFirstBooks]

Sweet memories. So I lived in many places but I specifically remember living in a blue house up from colonial diner. Fair grounds were always amazing. My dad was a forklift driver @ playtogs shopping center. We watched space jam in that theatre. It used to be the $1 “cheap” theatre. Nice pool hall up stairs. Then after getting married I lived on Watkins Ave

[@cschu879]

Lived on @ 10 Hoffman street and went to Truman Moon down the street. Memories...tanks..hills...lots of hills. Streets were hills.

[@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh]

yes I went to Truman Moon too.

[@cschu879]

@@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh Middletown, New York in the Hudson valley ,they say 800 ft above sea level spent my entire childhood there, some of my greatest memories...

[@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh]

@@cschu879 well actually most places are close to 600 ft, with exception of the bottom of hill from Truman Moon and all of Dolson Av, then south of 84 it drops to 450 going toward Goshen on 17m,, I 1st lived in Sutton Hill that was 550 ft, and about same as school, OCCC hill is about 620, my mom lives at the bottom of rt 78 hill from Maple Hill park shes at 650, where 78 meets Monhagen is about 675, some areas in Washington Hts above Highland Av hills go to about 750ft. 800 -1000 is going 211 West toward the resevoir by Howells toward Otisville. On 211 East by 17 is about 550-600 incl much of Scotchtown toward, with a few areas of hills up to 700 ft.

[@BIGHAMZA]

I see you don't like stopping at Stop signs.

[@howardreed6969]

He ran every one LOL Lucky MPD dont see this and send some tix

[@kenishamerriweather4590]

I went to Memorial I think in for 3rd and 4th grade in 1988 to 1990. We walked from Monhagen and I think I remember passing a big factory - was that the fragrance factory. We used to play at the DPW across the street from our house and swim at Maple Hill Park. I moved to rural Sullivan Country in 1990 so Middletown was always a fond memory.

[@sandranynj7118]

You passed the house I grew up in on Sprague Avenue. The factory was called PFW (Pollocks Fragrance Works) Sometimes it smelled like Perfume, Candy and other times YUCKY SOUR SMELL. Horton Hospital up the hill complained that it made their patients sick and eventually they changed the towers so you could not smell it

[@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh]

what is in place of Lloyds plaza do you know now?

[@arthuralzamora7331]

A bunch of stores raised the ground level up, Auto Zone, a bank, there is a little plaque about Lloyds Department Stote being the first to use the department store model.

[@lolz-f6c]

That Italian Pork Store is the best. I miss that place.

[@InfiniteTony]

I still live here lol

[@InfiniteTony]

@Think Dude I mean I would but I got no cash for an apartment lol

[@InfiniteTony]

@Think Dude lol it snowed alot today, ugh..

[@disputedghoul8013]

you lived right next to the house i live in now that’s crazy

[@michaelbiasi]

i lived on ogden st and remember the old lady in the small house wow

[@TheAdultContemporaryMusicCh]

Oh crap I just realized when you said crack alley, I thought of Linden Av off North St. Back in the late 70's when I was in elementary school at Truman Moon, your school is where I had band practice I tried the tuba [ the thing was larger than me] mom had to place it on my lap, also trumpet and drums. Why it was held at your school, I don't know do you??

[@johnnyayeee4978]

Your elementary is gonna be turned into a Chinese school by my godfathers house owner with another dude, they’ll be repairing the whole thing.

[@eunhu.i_i]

wait, really? Chinese school? What kind?

[@BIGHAMZA]

They're buying up the whole damn Psych hospital grounds.

[@johnnyayeee4978]

@@BIGHAMZA yeah I work there and everything is already own by them, it's just our rehabilitation center will be moved out by the beginning of 2020

[@BIGHAMZA]

@@johnnyayeee4978 I had no idea until my wife mentioned it when we went to help an old friend of hers move out of Tall Oaks.

[@isabellaa.1402]

I think u might have passed my house

[@realyouthinc2198]

Did you hang out with anyone in the estates? And what was there name?

[@ensignofindustry1033]

Used to be called Chi Chi’s before DeStefano’s. 🤌🙌