What is an ice box?
Early ice boxes were made of wood often oak and walnut. They were box shaped and kept food cold because ice blocks were put in the container with the food. The blocks of ice were delivered by the ice man who drove to the home in a truck. In early days food was kept cold in caves and outside in ice and snow. The ice box was shorter than typical refrigerator and often had three to five door with hinges. One compartment was for the ice block. The interior of the ice box was often lined with tin and other materials for good insulation. The iceman cut blocks of ice then grabbed them with tongs. He carried the ice blocks over his shoulder into the home to put into the ice box. Sometimes he put ice in the milk boxes too.
Early ice boxes made of wood made decorative furniture. Hallow walls in the ice box were packed with insulating materials to keep the cold lasting longer. There was often a compartment at the top of the ice box that the ice block was placed. Some model had spigots or faucets to drain ice water. Less expensive models had drip pans under the ice box. Ice boxes had compartment for fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cooked foods, and dairy products. Ice boxes came before the refrigerator was invented.
The ice man delivered ice in wagon then trucks in the 19th and 20th century. Ice chunks delivered often lasted a week in the ice box. Some of the ice was chipped off for cold drinks and making ice cream by families with ice boxes. The ice box was developed between 1830 and 1840. You can collect antique ice boxes by going to antique store, flea markets ad and yard sales.
As those with great-grandparents old enough to remember may know, the ice box was the precursor to the refrigerator. A large wood box, often made of oak or walnut, the ice box stored food that had to be kept cold, though it did not run on coolant. The ice box was so-named because it required blocks of ice, just like today’s camping coolers. The Chinese were reportedly the first to create blocks of ice about 1000 BCE. Before the ice box, people kept food cool in caves packed with snow or ice, in streams, or later, in underground cellars lined with straw. The typical ice box was roughly the size of modern refrigerators, though somewhat shorter. The face had three to five hinged doors, one smaller and designated for the ice block. Interiors were lined with material such as tin, and for insulation there was cork, seaweed, or straw, among other popular choices. Internal wired shelves held the food. Many neighborhoods in 1920s Southern California still saw the milkman arrive each morning by
