iceboxes

Iceboxes are insulated storage cabinets that preserve perishable foods by keeping them cold with ice. Before electric refrigeration, domestic iceboxes were common in homes, hotels, and stores in the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly where regular ice deliveries were available.

Most iceboxes had a wooden outer cabinet with a metal interior and a separate ice chamber or well. A large block of ice was placed in the ice chamber and melted water drained away through a built-in drain into a pan or outside the cabinet. The food compartment was sealed from heat by insulation, often made from sawdust, straw, or other materials placed between double walls. Shelves, bins, and sometimes a divider helped organize items and maximize cold air circulation around the food.

Cooling depended on the ice’s temperature and the cabinet’s efficiency. Length of ice blocks’ life varied with climate and use, requiring regular ice deliveries. The icebox often had the ice at the top or, in some designs, at the bottom to drive airflow.

With the advent of electrically powered refrigeration in the early 20th century, refrigerators gradually replaced iceboxes in households. By the 1950s most homes had electric units, though iceboxes persisted in rural areas for some time.

Portable versions existed for travel or boats, and commercial iceboxes were used in markets and cafes. Today, antique iceboxes are studied as historical appliances and can be found in museums or private collections.