Ice Converyor belt on the East side of Lake Massasoit
Description:
This photograph shows the ice house and conveyor belt that brings the ice to the top of the ice house. The photograph was captured looking East down the lake with the steep part being the conveyor belt. There are piles of ice in the front of the image which will go to the ice house according to the backside of the picture.
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Ice harvesting on the pond was a large industry for many decades. The Springfield Ice Company was formed in 1858, and maintained ice houses on the shores of what is now Lake Massasoit. Two large stables were built along the shoreline to house 60 to 80 horses. These horses, along with wagons, were used for ice harvesting up until the early 1930’s, in which trucks took over to make all of the deliveries. Cutting the ice on the pond also ended at this time, as the building of an ice house took place to manufacture ice. The other pictures can be seen here: http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/9362 , http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/9359 , http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/9356 , http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/9372
