the ice box

what's happening?

The ice harvesting industry was a very active industry between the 1830's and 1920's. Before the invention of electric refrigerators, to keep perishables cold through warm months, blocks of ice were cut from rivers and lakes during the winter, and stored.

To acquire this ice, it took a small army of men and horses to cut and transport to customers. In the 19th century, the demand for ice grew. Customers of the ice industry included urban populations who didn't have conveniant access to frozen bodies of water, the brewing industry, and the meat-packing industry.

Where was it stored?

The ice got transported to ice houses where they could be stored in the warm months. Inside the ice houses were ice boxes. Ice boxes were manufactured refrigerators found in homes, restaurants, breweries, or for food transport. Ice boxes became more affordable after the civil war, and the ice harvesting industry boomed as the working class was able to obtain them.

Larger iceboxes, such as "Lorillard Refrigerators" were expensive, and usually owned by the wealthy. Their ice houses, and refrigerators, were able to store enough ice until the next harvest season, where they would be refilled again

The end of the ice box

In 1913, the first electric refrigerator was created. This marked the beginning of the end of the ice box. In the late 1920's, electric refrigerators became more affordable and easier to obtain, and with that the end of the ice harvesting industry. There was no longer a need for real ice, now that artificial ice was able to keep perishables cold all year round.