SHREWSBURY – Back in the days before refrigerators and freezers were common household appliances, ice was supplied to homes and placed in “ice boxes” to keep food cold.
The ice would be harvested from local lakes and ponds, and then stored in icehouses until it was delivered.
The plans shown in our photograph were for an icehouse, which is owned by by the Commonwealth Ice Company of Worcester, that once stood on the north side of Jordan Pond, along what is now Lakewood Drive. The plans were approved by the state Department of Public Works Division of Waterways and Public Lands on Nov. 22, 1923.
This was one of several such structures that stood on Jordan Pond. The ice would be cut, then loaded onto the conveyor belt apparatus and pulled up into the storage area of the icehouse.
Just when the icehouses went out of service is unknown, but at least one burned — Michael Perna Sr. (born 1918) remembered seeing it burn when he was a young boy.
The concrete foundation of another, which was located at the end of Jordan Road, was still standing until recent years, when the town had it demolished.
RELATED CONTENT
Shrewsbury celebrates grant for shared-use path at Jordan Pond
Shrewsbury Scouts help clean up Dean Park and Jordan Pond
Photo shows Shrewsbury’s old police station
