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Ice Harvesting
January 16, 2021 @ 5:00 am
When Ice Came from the River: Ice Harvesting in the Gilded Age
A century ago, the village of Staatsburg was one of the leading sites for ice harvesting in the Hudson Valley. Join staff as they explore the local history of this once thriving industry through the Mills’ country estate, Staatsburgh. Using historic photos and oral histories, the tour will show just how ice was brought out of the frozen river and the impact it had on the community.
Local businesses, including the Mills family, employed thousands of workers and harvested hundreds of thousands of tons of ice each year. The Mills family harvested and maintained their own icehouse on the estate which was essential for dairy operations, food preservation and preparation intended for large scale entertaining at the family’s estate Staatsburgh.
This tour will be approximately 45 minutes in length and cover about 1 mile of fairly level terrain. The event will be re-scheduled in the event of heavy snow. Please wear comfortable shoes and appropriate cold-weather clothing.
PLEASE NOTE: Staatsburgh follows all NYS Department of Health guidelines for safety during the COVID 19 pandemic. Masks and social distancing will be required of all tour participants until these guidelines are lifted by New York State Parks.