The photograph below captures a pair of ice delivery men in Fort Branch, circa 1920. A description is handwritten on the back of the photo, stating that this was taken around the 100 block of South Polk Street, and one of the men pictured is Leroy Wilhite.
The man in the foreground is holding a block of ice with a tool called ice delivery tongs. These blocks of ice were often harvested from local water spots such as ponds, and would keep the house ice box cool. Although better than being stored at room temperature, “with ice as a refrigerant, the condition of milk is doubtful 24 hours after delivery,” according to the Frigidaire Household Sales Textbook from the 1930s.
*Ice harvesting information summarized from the National Museum of American History’s article “Before the Refrigerator Got its Hum”.
* Photo from the Fort Branch-Johnson Township Public Library’s local history collection.
