Ice Harvesting Sampler

     Ice Harvesting was one of Maine's most important industries at the end of the 19th century. Although modern refrigeration technology ended the large-scale export of river and lake ice, cutting and storing ice was still widely practiced in the 1940s. This compilation shows newsreel and amateur footage of ice harvesting operations in Portland, Hinckley, Mt. Desert, and Bangor, Maine. This video includes ice-house interiors with massive ice blocks being maneuvered at high speed, and horse teams delivering ice to brownstones in Boston. Narration by Philip C. Whitney, president of the New England Tool Collectors Association, enhances our understanding of the process.
 

33 minutes