I linked to Lillie's post (from her site as below) for the Ontario Barn Preservation newsletter. But, I really am interested in the history about the ice collecting and use here in Ontario, Canada too. So I am reposting the history she wrote. Read her full post for more information and photos. Lillie began her interest in the ice after finding her small barn (on an island in Ontario) had been used for ice harvesting. She has her own notes and photos from her location. I've just posted the history part of her post.

Ontario’s Ice Harvest History - posted by Lillie.

Ontario’s Ice Trade Ontario, with its cold and snowy winters, has a rich history of ice harvesting. In the days before refrigeration, ice was a vital commodity for keeping food fresh and preserving it during transport. The ice industry in Ontario was booming in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the frozen lakes and rivers of the province were a valuable resource for many entrepreneurs.

Ice harvesting in Ontario began in the early 1800s. The first icehouses were built along the shores of Lake Ontario, and they were used to store ice cut from the lake during the winter. In the early years, ice was cut by hand using saws and axes, and then transported to the icehouses using horse-drawn sleds.

The ice trade really took off in the mid-1800s, thanks to the development of new technology that made the process more efficient. In 1845, an American inventor named John Gorrie patented a machine that produced ice, and soon after, the icebox was invented. These new inventions created a huge demand for ice, and entrepreneurs in Ontario were quick to capitalize on this new market.

The ice industry in Ontario grew rapidly, and by the late 1800s, there were hundreds of icehouses scattered throughout the province. Some of the most successful ice merchants were based in Kingston, where they had access to the frozen waters of Lake Ontario. These merchants would ship their ice to other cities in Ontario and beyond, and by the early 1900s, Ontario ice was being shipped as far away as England.

Ice businesses grew in Hamilton, Toronto, Lake Simcoe and Lake Nipissing Ontario. The ice in the Toronto area later became less marketable because of the quality of the water and so the Simcoe and Nipissing ice grew in popularity.

Ice Harvest Method

The process of ice harvesting involved cutting large blocks of ice from the frozen surface of the lake and transporting them to storage facilities, where they would be packed in sawdust to keep them from melting. The blocks of ice were then shipped by train to cities across Ontario and beyond, where they would be used in refrigeration and cooling systems.

In the early days, the ice harvest was a labor-intensive process that involved large teams of men using hand saws and ice plows to cut the ice. The blocks of ice were then hauled by horse-drawn sleds to the storage facilities.

Ice Harvest Tools Catalogue page – I chose this image because I found a lot of scary looking tongs, saws and axes in our barn. Now I’m glad to know what they were for!

As technology advanced, the process of ice harvesting became more efficient. Steam-powered saws and ice plows were introduced, and later gasoline and diesel engines were used to power the equipment. The use of trucks and other motorized vehicles also replaced the horse-drawn sleds.

However, the advent of electric refrigeration and other cooling technologies in the mid-20th century led to the decline of the ice harvesting industry. By the 1950s, the demand for natural ice had declined significantly, and most of the ice harvesting operations shut down.

Originally posted as the Ontario Barn Preservation newsletter, February 2025.

Dear Members,

Part of saving old barns is finding a way to keep them in use. A barn in practical use, especially for a business, is a barn which can be supported, physically and financially. So far there are no grants for Ontario barns. But, there are a lot of interesting ways to use a barn in small rural businesses. 

I've posted links to those turning old barns into event venues. It can be a beautiful and exciting enterprise, but not for everyone. 

I think of other things which can be grown and sold, with less money and labour invested. (At least in theory). I've looked at Ontario mint and lavender farms because both of these grow quite easily and the plants grow well even in poor soil and without a lot of watering. Also, nut trees. In that case we decided it wasn't realistic because my brother is allergic to nuts. 

The I read about Ontario truffle farming. Did you know we have our own native truffles which can be farmed without a lot of space required? I've still got a lot more reading to do about the truffles but I'm sharing the idea and the information I've found. Maybe this will save your barn and give you something new to take up, as a hobby or a business.

Ontario Truffle Association The link is broken today but it was working in 2025.

North American Truffle Growers Association

Farmtario - Building a market for Ontario truffles

CBC - Eastern Ontario farmer discovers new variety of truffle

What Do You Know About the Eaton Hall Farm, Eversley, Ontario?

The town, Eversley, Ontario, is a hamlet, part of King City. 

Above photo (Note: I did not include the photos in reposting this) found on Camera On King & Aurora: Eaton Hall Barn - 50 Years After the Fire

History source: Hiking the GTA (This is cut and pasted from two original posts with more information and photos than I have posted here). 

Hiking the GTA: Eaton Hall

Hiking the GTA: Eversley - Ghost Towns of the GTA

The 700-acre property has a history that goes back to First Nations who camped around the lake and made use of the nearby Carrying Place Trail. The Toronto Purchase in 1787 allowed King township to be surveyed and opened to farmers in the 1820s. Some of the earliest in the area of Eversley was the Ferguson family who had a kettle lake on their section of the Oak Ridges Morraine. 

One of the most prominent buildings in the old community of Eversley is the Henry Pellatt barn because it is quite close to 15 sideroad. It was built in the early 1920s and later sold to the Eaton family along with 400 acres of land which they added to their estate, Eaton Hall. The foundation is surrounded on four sides with 3 over 3 windows giving it a unique look and allowing lots of light into the animal pens. Henry Pellatt owned Casa Loma and the nearby Mary lake estate in the 4th concession.

Starting in the 1920s Eversley was transformed by the arrival of the Eaton family who bought 700 acres in the north west area of the community.

The Eatons went on a building campaign as they sought to develop their estate into a working farm that could produce eggs and butter as well as other products to be sold in their stores. They built a dairy building, a chicken house, an ice house, and a greenhouse. They added a large cattle and horse barn which suffered two fires.

The Eaton Horse and Cattle Barn was completed in 1923 and was a notable sight in Eversley until it was destroyed by a fire in 1937. Lady Eaton promptly had it rebuilt but the two silos and clock tower were destroyed in a second fire on April 18, 1966 and were never replaced.

Eaton Hall: Pride of King Township - Book by Kelly Mathews.

Publisher's description of the book: "In 1901, Florence McCrea married into one of the most prosperous families in the Dominion of Canada, becoming Lady Eaton fourteen years later when her husband, John Craig Eaton, was knighted. Not long after the death of her husband, Lady Eaton retired from her home in Toronto to the seventy-two-room, Norman-style chateau she had built on their King City property. She named it Eaton Hall. The estate fueled the local economy and community, supported the Canadian World War II effort and established a firm place in the hearts and minds of the residents of King Township. Rediscover an enchanting and bygone age with the life and history of Lady Eaton and her grand Eaton Hall."

YouTube: Toronto Landscape TV - Eaton Hall (2010)

After Lady Eaton's death (1970) Eaton Hall was owned by Seneca College but unused by 2012. Presently Eaton Hall Country Inn and Spa is owned by Peter & Paul’s Hospitality Group, a venue for events.

Posted by Laura Laura

Highlights from the monthly Directors meeting...

What do you use your old outhouse for? Will uses the old outhouse for a garden shed. My Dad wanted to use the old outhouse at the end of our driveway for the children to wait inside for the school bus. My Mom protested by burning it. 

In case you missed it!

Local Gardener magazine features Ontario gardens and gardeners. (Not just Ontario but those are the gardens I looked at first when I noticed this on their website). They also have gardening podcasts and a free newsletter "10 Neat Things".

Ontario’s Ice Harvest History - Lillie's post starts with the mystery of a barn on a small, rocky island in a lake. A neighbour let her know the barn was for horses used in the ice trade. Lillie has done a lot of research about the ice harvest and trade in Ontario. Lillie sells hardy Canadian seeds on Etsy.

The Back-Breaking Leaf - National Film Board of Canada, 1959. Tobacco farming/ harvesting in Delhi, Ontario.

Muskoka, Ontario artist, Sherry Beiers, is looking for images of barns she can turn into paintings. Would you like your barn painted?