The Grafton Historical Society meeting and program will be held Sunday, November 15 at the Grafton Town Hall at 2 pm. Tom Ragosta will speak on the Ice Industry.
[private]Ice: Today we take it for granted as we go to the refrigerator and stick a glass under the chute of the automatic ice cube maker.
Before the days of mechanical ice-making machines, folks had to rely on Mother Nature for ice. Archaeologists have determined that the early people stored ice and snow in caves to use during warm weather. They even discovered that ice helped preserve food.
In northern climates where winters are cold enough to freeze thick layers of ice on ponds, lakes and rivers, most farmers once had a small icehouse and cut enough ice during the winter to last them through hot weather. In warmer climates other measures were called for.
Vast quantities of ice were harvested during the winter, stored and then shipped to wherever it was needed during the summer. Beginning in about 1850, the worldwide demand for ice spawned a booming ice harvesting industry, primarily along the upper Hudson River in New York and the Kennebec River in Maine.
Learn more about this forgotten industry from Tom Ragosta of the Watervliet Historical Society. He has been fascinated by this lost industry for many years. He will explain how ice was harvested, who did the work, how it was kept from melting in the summer and much more.
The program is free and the public is invited. Refreshments will be served.[/private]