Tennessee, Davidson County, Hermitage
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The Hermitage icehouse, a common feature on larger farms and plantations during the nineteenth century, stood on the north side of the smokehouse.
Archaeological excavation at this site in 1993 uncovered a portion of a 20 by 20 foot rectangular hole at least fifteen feet deep, the only remnant of the facility.
The pit was used to store and insulate winter ice and snow for use in cooling food and drink during the warm spring and summer months. The icehouse was completed in January of 1837, in conjunction with the reconstruction of the mansion after the 1834 fire. Although no description or image of the building exists, it is likely a low wooden A-frame structure once covered the pit.
(Antebellum South, US) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
The Hermitage icehouse, a common feature on larger farms and plantations during the nineteenth century, stood on the north side of the smokehouse.Archaeological excavation at this site in 1993 uncovered a portion of a 20 by 20 foot rectangular hole at least fifteen feet deep, the only remnant of the facility.
The pit was used to store and insulate winter ice and snow for use in cooling food and drink during the warm spring and summer months. The icehouse was completed in January of 1837, in conjunction with the reconstruction of the mansion after the 1834 fire. Although no description or image of the building exists, it is likely a low wooden A-frame structure once covered the pit.
(Antebellum South, US) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.