The history and success of the Holyoke Ice Company is more the story of its long-time Treasurer William Thomas "Tom" Wilson.
Mr. Wilson was born in Canada on March 18, 1872. He arrived in Holyoke in 1891 and went to work for John Street, who operated the Highland Spring Water Ice Company. The company had a pond located off Northampton Street on what later became the estate of William Skinner II. The pond was popular with Holyoke skaters.
In 1893, he became a foreman at the Holyoke and South Hadley Falls Ice Company, which had its business office at 9 Main Street in Holyoke. The earliest record of the Holyoke & South Hadley Falls Ice Company dates back to the 1887 Holyoke City Directory.
When the City Ice Company was formed in 1908, Tom Wilson became its manager. The City Ice Company was the selling organization for the Holyoke Ice Company. Both occupied the old ice house on Prospect Street, which was destroyed by fire in 1934.
Additional Chronology:
In 1899, the Holyoke & South Hadley Falls Ice Company purchased 40 acres of land at Ashley Ponds and intended to build an ice house. The property was adjacent to the Holyoke & Westfield rail line. The property was part of the Andrew Dibble farm.
In June 1904, an arsonist set fire to and destroyed the Holyoke Ice Company's storage facility at Ashley Reservoir. Telephone wires were cut to delay transmitting the alarm. The loss was estimated at $8,000.
In December 1904, workers began cutting ten-inch-thick ice on the Connecticut River. Ice was harvested north of the present-day Muller Bridge and floated down a four-foot-wide canal to the shore of the nearby ice house. A conveyor belt transported the blocks of ice up to the ice house on Prospect Street.
In January 1909, the Holyoke Ice Co. assigned 200 men to cut ice on the Connecticut River. It was anticipated that 12,000 tons of ice would be harvested.
In 1914, C. Fayette Smith and Henry Sears sold their stock in the company to Mr. Wilson and Edmund Friedrich. They then formed a new entity, the Holyoke Ice Company, with Mr. Friedrich as President and Mr. Wilson as Treasurer.
In mid-January 1917, ice cutting began on the Street Pond on Northampton Street in Holyoke, and Forge Pond in Granby, Massachusetts. The ice was 12 inches thick.
In April 1918, the company absorbed its largest competitor, the Charles A. Lawrence Ice Co.
In August 1921, William T. Wilson, Edmund H. Friedrich of Holyoke, and Harry W. Walker of Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed the Ashley Ponds Ice Company. The following year, they sold this company to the Berkshire Ice Company.
In 1922, newspaper advertisements touted the health benefits of using ice. The ads were part of a program series developed by the National Association of Ice Industries.
The first ice cutting of 1922 started on January 4th on Lawrence Pond in South Hadley and 125 workers were assigned to the job.
Also, in January 1922, the Holyoke Ice Co. bought the Willimansett Ice Co. for $100,000. The Roberts Pond property consisted of 150 acres and a 10,000-ton capacity icehouse.
The company cut ice in various locations, including the Connecticut River, Roberts' Pond in Willimansett, Lawrence Pond in South Hadley Falls, and Ashley Ponds in Holyoke. The river cutting ended around 1926, and the ice house at Roberts' Pond burned down several years later.
In 1928, there were discussions about the City of Holyoke purchasing the Ice House property to use as part or all of the city yard. This did not occur.
In 1932, the Holyoke Ice House built a modern facility on Walnut Street, which was outfitted with equipment to produce ice by ammonia refrigeration. Holyoke Ice Co. petitioned the city to extend Walnut Street from Lyman to Prospect Street as part of this new facility. The new plant was located on the southwest corner of Walnut and Prospect Streets. The former plant was on the north side of Prospect Street.
In 1935, the Willimansett property was sold to Israel and Thomas Epstein, who planned to build cottages similar to what they owned at Hampton Ponds in Westfield, Mass.
In 1939, the Holyoke Ice Company absorbed the Electric Ice and Sales Company on Commercial Street.
Thomas Wilson was honored for his 50 years in business in 1941. He was the creative force in building a machine that would crush ice for use by grocery stores' meat and produce departments and individuals for home use.
By 1941, the company distributed ice to twenty peddlers during the summer months and operated its own routes.
After 60 years in the ice business, Tom Wilson retired in 1951. A retirement party at the Hotel Essex in his honor was delayed one day, as the original date conflicted with the opening of trout fishing season. Wayne H. Cutler, a longtime employee, took over the corporate reins.
After the 1934 fire destroyed the old ice house on Prospect Street, the foundation remained open until 1957. Excess fill was transported from the Manchester lot to fill the hole, which was a safety hazard and a disposal area for unwanted rubbish. The Manchester lot was the construction site of the new J. M. Fields Discount Department Store.
By the early 1950s, the company provided ice vending machines in specific locations. Holyoke's first self-automatic ice vending station was at the Mobil gas station at 1635 Northampton Street, adjacent to Cray's Package Store.
In 1959, after Wayne H. Cutler's death, the business was sold to Liberty Ice & Fuel Company of Springfield, and the Holyoke plant's name was changed to Holyoke Ice and Fuel Company.
In the mid-1960s, the specter of urban renewal in the area north of Lyman Street was on the horizon. This involved demolition of most of the structures in this area, including the ice house. The Riverview Project plan prohibited new construction for businesses in this zone. The ice house had grown to serve western Massachusetts, northern Connecticut, and southern Vermont. It wanted to continue to be located in Holyoke, and the city planned to help in this effort.
Under the terms of the Federal Housing and Home Finance Agency, the company would be paid for its plant and up to $25,000 in moving expenses.
On June 6, 1973, the Holyoke Redevelopment Corporation purchased the plant for $214,000. The company would continue to operate there until the end of the year.
On July 12, 1973, Peter B. Hogan, the president of Holyoke Ice & Fuel Company, stated that the company would move to Springfield.
The 35 Walnut Street plant was scheduled for demolition in 1974. However, this did not occur until later, as an on-premises machinery and equipment auction was conducted on October 11, 1975.
The company sued to receive funds to replace the machinery and equipment it left behind at 35 Walnut Street, and was subsequently auctioned. By 1982, the action had been in the court system for nine years and was filed to receive adequate compensation for its financial setback. The company sought $250,000 to $300,000. There was no news discovered about the outcome of this suit.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Holyoke Daily Transcript - 1882-1912 30th Anniversary Edition
1915 and 1949 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
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