"The Iceman cometh..." rt

Unknown Photo Source-submitted by Frank O'Brien

Preface

     Ice and Iceboxes have been fascinating to me since a small boy growing up in the 1940's.  The only true personal contact with the "Ice House" I had was in my early fishing trips to Ontario where Ice-boxes were still used in the 1950s.  We went to the ice house to secure a block from the sawdust buried storage on a hot summer day and it amazed me to see how well the ice lasted in that building.  I wondered how ice was handled, harvested and distributed.

     Recently Frank O'Brien, assistant to Allegany County Historian Craig Braack, and author of one book "Frank, The Cows Are Out!", handed me a copy of his collected items on Ice History with permission to use any/all of it on this website, which I present in part with Thanks to Frank. 

     Some of the history presented here is from an"unknown" book published obviously prior to 1900 showing the early history of the industry.  Other items offered here include local stories of the ice harvesting and industry in Allegany County--for household use and farm use.

I hope you enjoy some little part.......Ron Taylor

 

From  Frank O'Brien Collectanea - ICE History & a few Illustrations

Although many of these are not Allegany County articles, they help understand the Ice Industry and give insight into the tradition;

1. Ice Cutting - by Frank O'Brien; from his book, "Frank The Cows Are Out"

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2. The Rise of the Business

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3. Harvesting & Manufacturing

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4. Operations on the Pond

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5. Ice Tools - - Ice Barges

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6. Artificial Ice

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7. Ice Business in New York and Pennsylvania

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8. CHILLY RECEPTION; 1851 Steam-engine-driven Ice-Making Machine; History summary article from Smithsonian Magazine, 2002.

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9. ICE HARVEST -a short article by Charles Kuralt, one of my heroes of writing style and subject matter.  This story reflects truly on the whole industry of ice-harvesting and tradition.

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LOCAL ICE HISTORY - Allegany County

1. Ice Industry at the Andover Ponds (William A. Greene)

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2. Cuba,NY Ice-making Activities (submitted by Frank O'Brien; Bette L. Stockman, Researcher)
    

3. NATURAL ICE --Harvesting was a big business; now almost vanished
    

4. Who Was Robert Riley Russell? Town of Alma Farm Pond

Some Great Other Sources......

1. Ice Harvesting USA -Everything that you ever wanted to know about the Natural Ice Industry in the United States.......plus some....A website belonging to a 1st Grade Teacher in Rhode Island with lots of links.

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2. Harvesting and Storing Ice on the Farm;  Bulletin of U.S. Department of Agriculture, revised 1928. Sample: "Under ordinary circumstances from about 1/1 to 1 ton of ice per cow is needed annually for cooling cream and from 1 1/2 to 2 tons for cooling milk on a dairy farm"; Source: "Ice Harvesting USA" Website above.

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3. "Raplin Ice Maker" - "Makes Ice Block in about 20 Minutes at the turn of a handle!"  (Thanks to James R. Hammond for bringing this interesting little machine to our attention.) (Offsite Reference).

 

If anyone has photos or stories about the ice-making/harvesting in Allegany County, please contact me and offer to share them.  It is fast becoming history!!!!  email: Ron Taylor

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