Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
Historic Treasure of the Week -
July 17, 1983
By Dick Tuttle
Vigo County Historical Society
Children chased the ice wagon
“The Iceman Cometh” -- no more!
The two items shown here are now historical treasures. The iron ice tongs continue to be used in ice plants where 300-pound blocks are moved, but the ice card is no longer used.
At one time, a half century ago, Terre Haute had three commercial ice plants--Terre Haute Ice, Fuel & Cold Storage Co., Vigo Ice Co., and Merchants Ice & Cold Storage Co. Terre Haute Ice was originally People’s Brewery, the other two were ice plants from the beginning.
Terre Haute Ice was located on South First, at the north end of Fairbanks Park; Vigo Ice on North Water at Mulberry Street; and Merchants at 9 1/2 and Poplar Streets. Merchants was acquired by Terre Haute Ice. The now Dever Distributing Co. was once the office and garage for Merchants and Terre Haute Ice.
The ice card was placed in the window, the number of pounds wanted indicated. Each firm’s cards were of a different color, and all easily read from the street. There was some poaching, as housewives would not identify an iceman with a particular company.
Early, horse-drawn ice wagons, brightly painted with high sides, delivered ice. The blocks were chipped by the iceman to the size ordered, carried in and put in the ice box. And the water drained into a pan hidden under the box. The block was lifted by the tongs and carried in on the shoulder. Later trucks replaced the wagons. Kids followed the trucks to eat the ice chips.
Oddly enough, ice men seldom had colds.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.