July 3, 1936, Menasha Record
Nestled among the real estate ads and ads for insurance and the offers of homeowner services, we find an especially archaic one, a special notice regarding ice deliveries. The 1930's found some folks still maintaining an ice box, dependent upon an ice man to deliver a block of ice to keep perishables fresh. The 20th century was filled with technologocial wonders, yes, but change is an evolving thing and some traditions just hung on longer than you'd think.
Welcome back, David!
ReplyDeleteHave you come across any information as to when the last ice houses in this area shut their doors for good? I seem to recall my Dad talking about remembering having an icebox and he was born in 1935 so probably wouldn't have many memories prior to about 1939.
One location where ice was cut and removed from the lake was near the start of what became Jefferson Park. Hence the name - Ice Street. This was a story that I heard from my Dad.
ReplyDeleteAnother ice harvesting location was at the south end of DePere Street. Both of these locations had rail service to load ice into rail cars for transport to ice houses where railroad refrigerator cars were iced. The building at 309 DePere Street (North of Moto Mart) is shaped the way it is to allow the curve off the main line of the Milwaukee Road for the ice spur. A similar spur, I believe for the Soo Line, branched off the line about a mile to the east and meandered through what is now Jefferson Park to service the Ice Street facility.
DeleteI grew up in Neenah in the 50's and I remember a small ice dealer that had a business in a building behind his house on the 200 block of Washington Street. Our Dad would send us with a cooler in a Radio Flyer wagon to get a block of ice for fishing trips.