January 21, 22026 by Geri Duff
During the late 1800s, in January when the weather was at its coldest and for twenty to thirty days, ice was harvested off the Hingham ponds in large blocks and stored in barns insulated with hay and sawdust. A good winter produced smooth thick ice for summer use. Should a mild winter occur, ice may have been imported from northern New England or Europe. Charles Leavitt supplemented his ice sales income as an agent for the Eddy Standard Refrigerator, an insulated ice box to hold the ice in the home. As Leavitt delivered in summer, small children chased after his wagon for the treat of chips of ice. The first commercial ice-making machine was invented in 1854, heralding the end to the ice harvest. Freon was introduced in 1920 putting an end to the ice box. However, some Hinghamites still refer to their refrigerators as the ice box. This photograph is from the Hingham Historical Society