Before the era of mechanical refrigeration, the only practical methods for preserving food were by drying or salting. These limited diets are found among all the world's peoples. Except during harvesting periods, people's diets were limited to a few staple foods that have a long shelf life.
People in cold climates harvested "natural" ice from local water reservoirs and stored it in "ice houses" for use in summer months, until it melted. It was a difficult and expensive method, and only a few wealthy people were able to store natural ice for food preservation.
In the 1870s, ice companies of that period built warehouses in cities to store extensive quantities of ice. These companies sell ice to individuals, forming a multimillion-dollar icebox industry with ice supply stations and icehouses in households.
Visitors are welcome to stroll the grounds and view the 1875 ice house and 1805 tannery vat area. Flowering bushes and trees, the herb garden, and a spring-fed pond give the three-acre grounds a park-like atmosphere.
The icehouse is easily reached by taking I-79 to Exit 36-A, then following US 6 and 19 east and north on the French Creek Parkway to the Reynolds Avenue exit. The Mansion gates are visible from this turn, south along Terrace Street. Parking is available on Lord Street, behind the mansion.
