Thompson Icehouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Thompson Icehouse
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 Location in Maine
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| Location | ME 129, South Bristol, Maine |
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| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1826 |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000179 |
| Added to NRHP | December 31, 1974 |
The Thompson Icehouse is a special old building in South Bristol, Maine. It's a place where people used to collect and store ice from a nearby pond. This icehouse has been used for harvesting ice since 1826! Today, it's a museum. Every year, people still use old-fashioned tools to cut and store ice from Thompson Pond, just like they did long ago. This historic spot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It's thought to be the only place in Maine that still harvests ice this traditional way.
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What is the Thompson Icehouse?
The Thompson Icehouse stands next to Maine State Route 129. It is also very close to Thompson Pond, a freshwater pond about 3 acres big. The icehouse is a one-story building made of wood. It has a main part with a gabled roof. There are also smaller sections on its long sides.
How the Icehouse Works
The outside walls of the icehouse are made of plain pine boards. Inside, there's a clever trick for keeping the ice cold. The inner walls are separated from the outer walls by a nine-inch space. This space is filled with sawdust. The sawdust acts like insulation, which helps keep the cold air inside and the warm air out.
There are large doors on both the east and west sides of the building. These doors made it easy to move big blocks of ice in and out. The side facing the pond has a special channel. This channel was used to float ice blocks right into the building. Then, conveyors would move the ice into the storage area. This storage area takes up most of the building.
A Cool History: Ice Harvesting
We don't know the exact year the current building was built. However, we know that people have been harvesting ice here since 1826. That's when a man named Asa Thompson started cutting ice from the pond.
Why Ice Was So Important
Ice harvesting was a very important business in Maine during the 1800s. Before refrigerators, people needed ice to keep food fresh. They also used it to cool drinks and for other purposes. Large blocks of ice were cut from frozen ponds and lakes. Then, they were stored in icehouses like this one. The sawdust insulation helped keep the ice frozen for many months, even into the summer.
The End of an Era
The ice harvesting business started to slow down in the 1890s. This happened because new technologies like refrigeration became popular. Refrigerators meant people no longer needed to rely on natural ice. The Thompson family kept the business going for many generations. They continued harvesting ice until 1985.
Becoming a Museum
In 1987, Herbert Thompson gave the property to a local non-profit group. He had one special request: that they continue to operate the icehouse in the old, traditional way. This is why the Thompson Icehouse is now a museum. It teaches people about the history of ice harvesting. Every year, visitors can watch as ice is still cut and stored using the same methods from long ago. It's a unique way to see history come to life!
See also
