Five Minute Histories: The American Ice Company Building
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Before electricity, how did people obtain ice? In today’s video we discuss how ice was harvested and then manufactured. Here in Baltimore, ice was made at the American Ice Company Building in West Baltimore! Thanks for watching and we’ll be back later this week with another episode.
This is our series called "Five Minute Histories." Twice a week, we’ll record a short video about a different historic place in Baltimore and post it on our Facebook page and website. For more information or to become a member of Baltimore Heritage, check out: baltimoreherit...
Thanks to John & his colleagues at Baltimore Heritage for their efforts to keep these interesting videos going! :-)
GREAT SHOW JOHN , I GREW UP BEIND MT. SAINT JOE HIGH SCHOOL. WE US KIDS WOULD WALK UP TO EDMONSON VILLAGE ON SATURDAY MORNINGS.
You’re much like my mother, and my son is going to MSJ. She grew up half the time on Tremont and then “moved on up” to the end of Edmondson at literally where it comes at 40. She talked a lot about “the first shopping center in the country” and how much she went there just walking.
Yeah, bought from American Ice for some event (can't remember what) back in the '70s. I was so amazed that there was such a thing as an "ice company"! Also remember buying ice for the ice box at the summer cottage on the Severn back in the '50's.
My great grandfather was a farmer and an ice cutter up in north central Pennsylvania.
MTA should buy this and rebuild the MARC station there. I dont think people know that the trip from West Baltimore station (directly across from this building) to Union Station in DC is like 45 minutes.
That's exactly what I expect to happen. Remember that everything is planned years in advance. I envision a high rise residential commercial mix building which are becoming common. It will certainly be very expensive.
I have one of their ice tongs from my Dad. His mom had ice delivered in East Baltimore since the very early 1900s.
My grandfather had an ice company in the Boston area. Although his 3 brothers all fought in WW2, he was deemed an essential worker. Right after the war, he turned the company from ice to heating oil. He lived in a 2-flat house with the upper apartment bigger and nicer than the lower one where he lived. Apparently, he climbed enough stairs with a 50-block of ice.
If there are any concrete companies nearby that building, check with them. When ambient temperatures get high, they put some ice in the mixers instead of water to keep the temperature of the mix down. Thanks for the videos. Take care.
Thanks for this!
I remember driving past there on a hot summer night and seeing the compressor flywheel turning through the open door.
That's so cool!
In late 1950’s my Brother and I had a little wagon and we would go to the Icehouse on 24th Street off of Howard Street , and we pick up the largest pieces of ice that had broken off and we took them home to our icebox . Also before we had an iceman that came by our house on horse and wagon and would sell us pieces of ice according to our money . For instance (.15, .25, . 50) for our icebox
Wow! Thanks for sharing this family history.
I remember as a kid there was an icehouse next to the Baltimore County Public Library the old Towson branch. When we were at the library, we'd often stop with our mom or dad and get ice in the summer if our parents were having a gathering such as a cookout with neighbors so we could keep watermelon and such on ice.
Beautiful brick work.
Yes, it is gorgeous
Hopefully they save this building and turn them into Apartments
They stopped manufacturing ice at that facility, but I remember you could still purchase ice there until it burned. We would go there to purchase large quantities of ice for the Bolton Hill band concert.
My father would get ice @ American Ice when we went fishing. We would early in the morning heading to Sandy Point.
It would be interesting to see what happens to this building. I walk past it everyday to/from the MARC Train.
They sell ice blocks,dry ice,and ice cubes AAA ICE HOUSE on belair rd in baltimore
I’m late to the game but have you done a video about the Baltimore paint company.. it’s on the west side also .. ?
My pops worked there foe years
It was in business until at least 1998
Cool!
I used to buy block of ice not too long ago. I would like to know where this building located???
2100 West Franklin Street
@@Taconix Oh yess. You mean by the train station.. Thanks
@@Taconix thank you. I wish Mr. Hopkins would mention the addresses of these architectural treasures in each episode, so that we can get some context, and maybe even visit.
@@jessmyapinyon1287 Good idea! We'll try to do this. Thank you!
@@jessmyapinyon1287 You can Google the address. Careful if you visit this specific site, we were there about 2 years ago. We walked right in because it was not secure. Ran into 3 Baltimore police detectives who informed us 2 dead bodies were found earlier that day, we actually saw the police tape and blood stains. We also learned it was not secure because the fire department had to bust the gate down due to a fire inside set by some homeless people. Just to top it off there was a Dodge Caravan and an Acura behind the building half stripped the police said were found to be stolen vehicles and one was involved in an armed robbery. Definitely a rough area I wouldn't recommend visiting and definitely not a "sight seeing" area. Ironically, we did enjoy the visit and the coincidence of on site police made us feel safe walking through the site. The block forms where they actually made the ice are still there so was a lot of the original equipment. The metal stairs were sketchy to walk up but as expected for a burned down abandoned building in West Baltimore.
That building has been decaying since the 1980's, when I was still in diapers. Can't believe the city just lets it sit there rotting away and decaying, its an eye sore. The city should use eminent domain to purchase the bldg and just raze it to the ground.
I've been faascinated with ice industry since a childhood visit to the Ice House in Charleston, SC. Great video. You absolutely show that you are a city boy. No sane person would ever pack ice in hay. It's too valuable as food. One would use straw.
The American Ice Company also sold fuel oil.
My fiancé worked there in 1997 it was still in operation.
To this day, some old-timers still call refrigerators "ice boxes".