Harvesting and Transporting Ice in the Harlem Valley

Spring 2021 saw the weather moving between warm spring-like days and chilly days that took us back to deep winter. On those cold days, it was easy to imagine this area when it was replete with ice harvesting, taking place on many ponds and lakes. From the small ponds that local merchants and farmers harvested to keep their produce, dairy and meats cool to larger lakes, such as Copake Lake, where ice was cut, stored in a multi-story icehouse, and eventually loaded onto a spur line of the New York and Harlem Railroad to be taken to New York City.

Major ice cutting began in the 1830s, and by the time the New York and Harlem Railroad reached Dutchess County in the 1840s, ice harvesting was sufficient to keep agricultural products well chilled during shipment to NYC throughout most of the year. After the Civil War, though, demand for block ice really took off as people began to acquire ice boxes to chill their food at home. Breweries were also major consumers of block ice, particularly in the summer months, when chilling was needed to keep beer from spoiling. And so, some railroad cars travelled full of block ice, typically packed in insulating sawdust.

Harvesting ice was hard work and not particularly well paid. A laborer would work a dawn to dusk shift for $1.25/day. Farmers, who usually had their own horse teams could earn up to $3.50/day and the industry was seen as a way to maintain income during the winter months. Of course, it was all dependent on the weather. The ice had to be at least 10 inches thick to allow men and horses to walk on it during cutting and to make it worth storing and shipping given the rate of melting.

And in case you are wondering, the ice was only for chilling not for placement in beverages. Cutters avoided areas of major pollution and manure dropped by horses helping with the harvesting was cleared, but the ice was far from sterile. How easy it is now to simply walk to the freezer and grab a handful of clean cubes.