ICE CHEST
Object numberHF.2015.19.234
DescriptionA large wooden ice chest with light brown finish. A rectangular door opens on the top with a small handle with square corners fastened at the front-center. A chain is present on the left to hold the door upright. The interior is clad in grey metal. The left interior wall has a second, shorter interior wall. The bottom has a concaved, ribbed shelf raised 4cm from the interior floor. The front sides and back of the exterior feature wood paneling. A small rectangular plate is attached to the center-front with the manufacturer's information: "Montreal Supply Co. Limited 16 Craig St. West Montreal, Que." At the bottom of the front is a door with hinges on the left and a latch on the right which lifts upwards. The interior of the door is wood. The interior of the box is clad in metal. A thin metal column is present a the back center. At the base is a metal tray (.b), un-secured with three rows of 7 small circle holes, a large hole in the bottom-left corner followed by 5 small circles. Narrative
The precursor of modern day refrigeration, early versions of ice boxes date to around 1830 and would have been made of hardwood lined with insulating materials such as flax, straw, sawdust, seaweed, cork, wool or charcoal. The ice would be kept in a storage compartment underneath which was usually a catch pan which collected the melting ice water. This ice box was made by the Montreal Supply Company Limited which was incorporated January 24, 1919 and operated out of 16 Craig St. West, Montreal, Quebec.
Locally, ice was harvested from frozen ponds and lakes across PEI, such as Summerside's Ice Pond and Andrew's Pond in East Royalty. Once harvested, the ice would be packed in sawdust and stored in ice houses before being sold to locals for their own domestic use.
Locally, ice was harvested from frozen ponds and lakes across PEI, such as Summerside's Ice Pond and Andrew's Pond in East Royalty. Once harvested, the ice would be packed in sawdust and stored in ice houses before being sold to locals for their own domestic use.
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