Just last week, our local journalist Joyce Whitis, wrote about the joys of having ice home-delivered in her Stephenville Empire-Tribune column. Her column might be online at the Empire-Tribune's website. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles A. Wyly" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, July 04, 2003 4:49 PM Subject: [ERATH] Stephenville Ice house and "Thirsty- Just whistle" for Whistle Vess Soda Pop > Memories of Stephenville Ice House, referred to recently > > Hi, > The Old Stephenville Ice house had a floor made of the tops of the Ice > molds. Each mold was filled with water, then , when frozen, they pulled > metal boxes up as needed and removed the ice, which was placed on an > automatic slide chute through the wall to the loading dock. There was a > manual trip to pull to let the ice slide out. > > when the Ice plants in Central Texas closed, farm mechanics bought the > old Ice boxes or vaults which stood on end , solid across the floor of > the plant. They were split diagonally by cutting torches across the end > and down opposite corners and mounted on old tractors, especially the > steel wheeled ones as dirt fenders , which made the driver a much happier > camper. Old tractors with rounded fenders were factory equipped- the > square fenders made in Clifton and Stephenville were custom fit to the > tractor. > > We used to have a cedar Ice Chest in our Johnsville home, 1930's with a > double hinged top lid. The ice blocks were placed in first and butter and > milk were set on and around the ice. Some had the upright chests with > separate doors for food and block ice. Our homes were not locked, and a > card was left in the front window with the side up indicating the size of > Ice block you wanted. The contract route hauler usually had an old > pickup with a heavy canvas tarp pulled over the ice. One Ice Man was a > Koonsman- Hugh, best I remember. After World War 1 Elmer Johnson took the > route to Johnsville & all points east. No new pickups - or new cars were > available. Elmer took a damaged Plymouth Sedan and cut the top off behind > the front seat and made a flat bed pickup to haul the ice in. Most Ice > haulers were small farmers or cattlemen . > We made our ice cream in a wooden bucket with hand crank. It took 2- > one to crank and the other to sit on the Freezer on a tow sack to hold it > down and keep the ice until we could no longer turn it. > > Before that, Farmers in Erath County used Galvanized and screened milk > coolers with a water pan on top and bottom. A sheet was wrapped around > the screen sides and pans were filled,.and evaporation cooled the food > and kept butter firm. Before that, milk and butter were placed in a > bucket and dripped down a well on a rope, stopping just above the water. > My Elementary Teacher Clara Stigler Atkins once quipped that her sisters > had to pull the cool food up before meals, as she was so ugly she would > sour the milk. She was beautiful to us. In 1950-,my Pontiac wasn't air > conditooned, so, on the way back to Fort Polk I would stop at Whitney ice > plant and put a 25 pound block of ice in a dishpan in the floor board and > open the old Foot vents by the windshield, and rode in air conditioned > Comfort. > > In the Hill Country of Erath County , there were cool springs in unlikely > places, almost on level ground, between small rock ledges. Some in Texas > used underground natural caverns or dirt floor log top cellars to keep > food cool in sulmmer and above freezing in the summer. These became a > cooling place for whatever. Grandad Henry Wyly of Selden,Texas- or one of > his ancestors- had dug a hole near his windmill to a Rock layer about 5 > feet down, then built a stone tank platform to 8 feet above the ground . > He had a Cypress floor on the rocks and tank overflow from the windmill > would fill the sunken cool water pool and milk cans were kept there until > the Route man came for them, or some was needed in the house. This still > stands on the Hoelscher Dairy, north of the Dr. Hatchett home that Bud > Cook restored. This resembled the old Spring Houses our ancestors dug in > Tennessee, only up there they cut the ice from ponds and stacked it in > the spring house a few feet deep. If you visit Gatlainburg- Sevlerville, > Tennessee go to Marble Springs home of Great Grandad X 8, First > Tennessee Governor , Col. John Sevier. It is open to the public. > > Vess Cola- and Whistle Vess flavors was made in or near the old > Stephenville Ice Plant- it is still made elsewhere , but those old > Stephenville bottles are collector's items. > Take care, > Charles A. Wyly > > P.S. Remember our warnings that anything sent like this is automatically > copyrighted. > > > > > ==== TXERATH Mailing List ==== > --- Author Retains Copyright --- > -- Copyright 2003 Author -- All Rights Reserved > Post to List: [email protected] http://www.selfroots.com > Unsubscribe request To: [email protected] > ARCHIVES: http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl > >