Ice Harvesting

During the early 20th century, the Abbott Brothers, William F. and Martin L., played a vital role in supplying ice to the Havre de Grace community. Former employees of the American Can Company, the brothers started their own business around 1909. They initially sold sand and gravel from a local quarry, which they later purchased. In 1917, they purchased the local property of the American Ice Company on Water Street and began their seasonal ice operations.

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Each winter, they harvested up to 1,000 tons of ice from the frozen Susquehanna River. The river typically froze around Thanksgiving, and within a few weeks, the ice was thick enough to support men and machines. The harvest continued until early March.

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The Abbott Brothers sold ice to local fish packing houses and delivered blocks to households across town. Home deliveries were made to houses that used wooden ice boxes. As electricity spread and modern refrigeration took hold, the era of river-harvested ice faded, leaving behind a frozen chapter of Havre de Grace’s industrial past.