Antique Vintage Oak Wood Ice Box

Description

PICK UP ONLY
Beautiful
Antique Oak Wooden Ice Box
Large, 3 door
2 adjustable wire shelves in large compartment
Porcelain and tin (?) interior
Drainage hole to collect the water from
Melted ice
Original condition
Beautiful
32" wide x 16" deep x 40" tall
The top left corner has some damage that never bothered me because I always had items on top. The bottom right trim needs to be hammered in that I will leave to the buyer. Otherwise, this a beautiful ice box.
Please ask questions prior to purchase.
Refunds are not honored due to inability to pick up. Please arrange that prior to purchase.
History:
Wooden ice boxes were the predecessors of the modern-day refrigerator. The earliest versions date back to around 1830. Made from hardwood such as oak or walnut, ice boxes looked similar to a large dresser. The hollow walls were lined with zinc or tin and packed with insulating materials such as flax straw fiber, sawdust, seaweed, cork, mineral wool or charcoal. There were several storage compartments inside, including the ice compartment, which had a drainage hole. Melted ice water would be collected inside a catch pan or holding tank that would need to be emptied on a daily basis.
The ice which was used to refrigerate ice boxes was harvested in winter from snow-packed areas or frozen lakes. The commercial ice was stored in ice houses and then delivered to residential homes by way of the iceman, who sold ice from a horse drawn cart and eventually, a motorized truck.
By the 1930s, most residential homes were replacing ice boxes with refrigerators. However, not all households could afford the luxury of electric refrigerators, as indicated by the lower income family portrayed on the 1950s television show, The Honeymooners. Bus driver Ralph Kramden and his stay-at-home wife, Alice, shared a one bedroom apartment which had an old fashioned ice box in the kitchen.