Otis Singleton
Before the advent of electricity and freezers, ice harvesting was a popular method of storing ice for later use. In the 19th century, people would cut huge blocks of ice from lakes and ponds in New England, transporting them worldwide by barge or railroad. This ice was then stored in iceboxes, often made of wood and lined with tin or zinc, to keep items cold. The ancient Persians also discovered a method to create ice through radiative cooling, where water in purpose-built trenches froze overnight, even in hot desert conditions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time Period | 19th and early 20th centuries |
| Location | East Coast of the United States and Norway |
| Industry | Ice trade, also known as the frozen water trade |
| Process | Harvesting ice from lakes, ponds, and streams |
| Tools | Ice gaff, ice pick, ice tongs, and ice saw |
| Transportation | Ships, barges, or railroads |
| Storage | Ice houses, ice depots, or iceboxes |
| Consumers | Wealthy individuals in hot climates |
| Alternatives | Underground pits lined with straw, purpose-built trenches |
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What You'll Learn
Ice was harvested from frozen lakes and ponds
In the 1800s, ice harvesting became a large-scale industry, centred on the east coast of the United States and Norway. Before the advent of electric refrigeration, ice was harvested from frozen lakes and ponds in New England and then shipped across the world by barge or railroad.
The process of harvesting ice from frozen lakes and ponds was a laborious and dangerous task. First, the snow would be scraped off the ice, which should be six to thirty inches thick (but needed to be at least eight inches thick for transport). Horses were used to measure grids on the ice, and then grooves were cut into the ice along the grid until blocks of ice broke off and floated down a cleared channel to a chute. Here, the blocks were hauled up and placed in an ice house.
Ice houses were built in major ice-consuming cities to hold imported ice before its final sale and consumption. In London, the early ice depots were circular and called wells or shades. Later depots were larger, and some were used to store ice imported from Norway. In New York, ice barges were used as floating warehouses.
Ice harvesting was a winter crop and a source of community for workers. It was also a cash crop, as only the wealthy could afford to buy and store ice. Ice was a luxury in hot climates, and people were willing to pay for cold drinks and frozen treats.
The ice trade continued to grow throughout the 19th century, with ice companies emerging to meet the growing demand. However, the emergence of mechanical refrigerators in the interwar years caused the total collapse of the international ice trade.
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Ice was stored in straw-lined pits or ice houses
Before the advent of electricity, ice was a luxury commodity, with only the wealthy having the means to acquire and store it. Ice harvesting was a winter activity, with workers collecting ice from frozen lakes, ponds, and streams. The ice was then stored in straw-lined pits or ice houses, ready to be transported and sold.
The ice trade, also known as the frozen water trade, was a thriving industry in the 19th century and early 20th century, particularly in the eastern United States and Norway. Ice was harvested, transported, and sold on a large scale, with New England being a key ice-producing centre. The ice was shipped worldwide by barge or railroad, with the barges believed to help preserve the ice by storing it beneath the deck, insulated by the river.
Ice houses were built in major cities to store imported ice before its final sale. These ice depots were circular structures, often called wells or shades. In London, the New Cattle Market depot, built in 1871, was 42 feet wide and 72 feet deep, capable of holding 3,000 short tons of ice.
For those who could afford it, ice was stored at home in boxes made of wood and lined with tin, zinc, or lead. These "ice boxes" or "cold closets" were designed to be attractive pieces of furniture, with trays to catch the water as the ice melted. The iceman was a familiar figure in American towns and cities, delivering ice to homes and businesses to keep their ice boxes stocked.
While the ice trade eventually gave way to the widespread adoption of mechanical refrigeration, it played a significant role in transforming how people stored and transported food and drinks, paving the way for modern refrigeration and frozen food.
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Ice was transported by barge, ship or railroad
The ice trade, also known as the frozen water trade, was a 19th-century and early 20th-century industry that centred on the east coast of the United States and Norway. It involved the large-scale harvesting, transport, and sale of natural ice, and later, artificial ice. The trade was started by the New England businessman Frederic Tudor in 1806.
In the 1800s, people began harvesting ice in huge blocks cut from lakes and ponds in New England, then shipping it all over the world by barge, ship, or railroad. Barge transportation was believed to help preserve ice from melting, as the ice was stored beneath the deck and insulated by the river. These barges could carry between 400 and 800 tons of ice, and windmills were typically installed to power the barge's bilge pumps. Charlie Morse introduced larger, seagoing ice barges in the 1890s to supply New York; these barges were pulled by schooners and could carry up to 3,000 tons of ice.
Ice was also transported by ship. In 1806, Frederic Tudor shipped ice to the Caribbean island of Martinique, hoping to sell it to wealthy members of the European elite. Over the years, the trade widened to Cuba and the Southern United States, with other merchants joining Tudor in harvesting and shipping ice from New England. Shipments of New England ice were sent as far as Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, the Persian Gulf, New Zealand, Argentina, and Peru.
The ice trade played a significant role in the development of the meat, vegetable, and fruit industries, enabling growth in the fishing industry, and encouraging the introduction of new drinks and foods. It flourished in the time between the development of reliable transportation methods and the widespread adoption of mechanical refrigeration.
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Ice was sold to wealthy households
The ice trade, also known as the frozen water trade, was a large-scale industry that began in the 19th century and centred on the east coast of the United States and Norway. Ice was harvested from lakes, ponds, and streams, stored in ice houses, and then transported by barge, ship, or railroad to its final destination, often to major ice-consuming cities.
During the 1830s and 1840s, the ice trade expanded further, with shipments reaching England, India, South America, China, and Australia. The citizens of New York City and Philadelphia became huge consumers of ice during their long, hot summers, and additional ice was harvested from the Hudson River and Maine to meet the demand.
To store ice at home, households would use insulated boxes, often made of wood and lined with tin or zinc, with a block of ice to keep the items inside cold. These boxes were often called "iceboxes" or "ice boxes," and they served as a precursor to the modern refrigerator.
The ice trade began to decline in the early 1900s with the introduction of refrigeration, making ice houses and natural ice harvesting largely obsolete. By the 1920s and 1930s, domestic, modern refrigerators became common in US homes, and ice could be made at home with the help of cheap electric motors.
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Ice was kept in home ice boxes
In the 19th century, ice harvesting became a large-scale industry, with ice being transported and sold for domestic consumption. Before the advent of electric refrigerators in 1927, people used ice boxes in their homes, often made of wood and lined with tin, zinc, or even lead, to keep their food cold. These boxes were designed to be pieces of furniture, with trays to catch the water at the bottom as the ice melted. The iceman, a staple in most American towns and cities, would deliver ice to homes, where it would be placed in these iceboxes to keep items cold.
The ice trade, also known as the frozen water trade, centred on the east coast of the United States and Norway, with ice being harvested from ponds, lakes, and streams in New England and then shipped worldwide. This trade began in 1806 when Frederic Tudor shipped ice to Martinique, hoping to sell it to the wealthy elite. Ice was also harvested in other parts of the world, such as the deserts, where water could freeze overnight due to radiative cooling, a process discovered by the ancient Persians.
In the 1860s, access to ice revolutionised how meat and produce were stored and transported in the United States. The ice industry's growth led to the emergence of ice houses or depots in major cities, which stored imported ice before its final sale and consumption. These depots were large structures capable of holding several tons of ice.
Even after the introduction of electric refrigerators, ice continued to be harvested and sold in isolated rural areas without access to electricity until after World War II.
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Frequently asked questions
Before electricity, people stored ice in boxes, often made of wood and lined with tin, zinc, or lead. These boxes were called "ice boxes" or "cold closets".
In addition to using insulated boxes, people would harvest ice during the winter and store it in straw-lined underground pits, natural trenches, or purpose-built ice houses.
Ice was harvested from frozen ponds, lakes, and streams. In the 1800s, people began cutting huge blocks of ice from these sources in New England and shipping them worldwide.
Ice was transported by barge, railroad, or ship. The barges were believed to help preserve the ice as it was stored beneath the deck and insulated by the river.
