It’s time once again for #FlashbackFriday with the Whitewater Historical Society. Prior to electric refrigeration, ice was harvested in winter and stored in ice houses to sell to homes for warm weather ice box use. It was also stored in produce company buildings to keep farm produce cool in warm weather. Here, in this image from around 1900, we see ice being loaded into the warehouse of the Union Produce Company, a farmer’s warehouse that was located at the east end of Main Street.

Ice harvesting was done on Cravath Lake in February when the ice would have been the thickest. Men used large saws and tongs to cut and load the large ice blocks onto the horse-drawn carts. Then, as seen in the photo, the ice blocks were ramped into the warehouse using a pulley system. Men who worked primarily warm-weather jobs or in factories that had winter lay-offs could get much-needed employment during the winter by working for ice harvesting companies.

Join us next week for more from the Whitewater Historical Society.

(4441PC Whitewater Historical Society)