In the 1930s ice houses began to disappear from the landscape in the village area. In its time ice houses were as obsolete as livery stables and private barns. In the coldest winter months shipments of ice were brought from Lacon cut from the Illinois River. Ice blocks were about ten inches in thickness and were placed in layers of sawdust. Other ice houses in the village were operated by C. H. Hindson and the Metamora Ice Company run by Edward Theena. The Theena Family cut their ice from a pond on their property north of the Village. One of the ice houses was located on the J. B. Knoblauch property corner at the alley of Mason Funeral Home today. In its later years the surface of this old building was used to display circus advertising as shown in the above photo.
The second photo shows the ice house built in the late 1800s for Theena’s Meat Market located behind the Colors 4Hair building today. It was torn down in 1943 by Otto F. Giehl, grocer.
Ponds on the farms of Jack Schierer on Washington black top road and on Route 116 at the farm of Robert Kinhofer also supplied ice to these ice houses. In later years another source of ice could be purchased from the “Dude” Theobald Tavern located in the 200 block of East Mt. Vernon Street Route 116.
History and photo submitted by Shirley A. Adams.
