Early Icemen loaded hundreds of pounds of ice blocks into horse-drawn wagons while most people still slept. They drove to houses on their route, determining the size of each customer’s order from the sign in their window. Using metal tongs, they hauled each 25- to 100-pound block, often up several flights of narrow stairs, and loaded it into an icebox.
Since refrigerators were not yet available, ice was essential in cities to preserve food and keep people cool in heat waves. Wealthy businessmen eventually took advantage of the growing demand. They controlled the industry, raising the price of ice until the average person could barely afford it. Copper and Ice speculation led to the panic of 1907 and the creation of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Refrigerators eventually became the AI of their day as they “buggy-whipped” Early Icemen out of their jobs.
Following Are Mind Melting Details about Early Icemen and the once massive Ice Industry.
Ice Wasn’t A New Invention
Producing and storing ice by controlling evaporation began in ancient Persia, China, India, Greece and other parts of the world. In America, what became a massive industry developed from harvesting and shipping ice that naturally developed in cold regions.
One Obsessed Man Willed Ice Into Mainstream America
Frederic Tudor (1783–1864) came from a prosperous Bostonian family that could afford iced beverages. In 1805 he was starting his career in a modest trading business with the West Indies when he decided that selling ice in warm climates could be profitable.
Tudor developed equipment and processes to harvest, transport, and store massive blocks of ice. In short, he created a mass market and industry.
Tudor struggled with his complicated import business for nearly three decades before it became an “overnight” success, By the 1830s he was shipping ice to the West Indies, Australia and India.
Demand For Ice Created A Massive Industry
As cities grew people lived further from the sources of their food, ice became essential to preserve meat and dairy. By the 1870s, nearly every family, grocer, restaurant and bar across America had an icebox.
New York was one of the most robust markets for ice. By 1855 New Yorkers were consuming an estimated 285,000 tons annually.
According to the Antique Ice Tool Museum:
“By 1879 households in the eastern cities were consuming almost a ton of ice per year and it required 3000 ice wagons just to supply ice to consumers in New York.” (Antique Ice Tool Museum)
The Knickerbocker Ice Company Cornered The Market
In 1855 the Knickerbocker Ice Company became the New York’s largest supplier, thanks to a massive ice harvesting operation along the banks of the upper Hudson River. aRockland Lake in Nyack was the most robust center for ice harvesting. According to Bowry Boys, Knickerbocker employed thousands of men in winter months to cut and haul bocks of ice to warehouses.
In the warmer months, ice was loaded onto barges and carried to Manhattan docks.Ice was delivered to thousands of customers across NYC from a web of Icehouses.
Who Were Those Able-Bodied Delivery Guys?
Like many manual workers, the Early Icemen often came from the ranks of new immigrants to New York. Many were from the waves of Italian immigrants with muscular physiques. Only strong, able-bodied men could handle the physicality of the job and its long hours. Payment was modest but the work was steady and people welcomed them, particularly on hot days.
As “strangers” who interacted routinely with housewives while husbands were absent, they became the frequent subject of suspicion and raunchy jokes. Immortalizing the stereotype, Eugene O’Neill’s “The Ice Man Cometh” set in 1912 became a Broadway success in 1946.
The Industry Hired A Few Good Ice Women
A few photos offer proof of Early Ice Females. The South Seaport Museum holds the photo of Josephine Hudson (1898–1996). In 1907, then 19-years old, Josephine was believed to be the only woman working for the Knickerbocker Ice Company.
“She got a job with the company by disguising her long hair; she dressed as a boy and called herself “Jo.” Her house still stands, though in disrepair, on the northeast side of the lake.” (SeaportMuseum)
Read Related Articles In Racing Nellie Bly
1911 Heat Wave Triggered Coney Island Slumber Parties. Read More Here.
Belle Époque Hotspots Cooled Summer Crowds – Read All About It
Victorian Seaside Images Captured Playful Days – Read All About It
Racing Nellie Bly
Victorian Secrets From Footnotes In History
Know The Past To Invent The Future
