The English River ice group worked together from the early 1900s to the 1940s to cut blocks of ice from the English River. Ice was a necessary commodity for dairy farmers to keep their milk cold. Sawdust was used as insulation between the blocks of ice in the farmer’s icehouse. Depending on the winter, the ice would range from 20 to 24 inches thick. Once the blocks were carefully put in place in the icehouse, they helped cool milk into the warmer weather. Pictured here is the ice-cutting machine minus the team of horses required to pull it.
