The Armour and Company Icehouse

The Armour and Company Icehouse (HM1IX8)

Location: Ashland, NE 68003 Saunders County
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Country: United States of America
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N 41° 5.876', W 96° 26.191'

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Inscription
The Armour and Company Icehouse was built in 1897-98 northwest of Memphis, Nebraska. It
was one of the largest icehouses in the country, measuring approximately 180 feet wide, 700 feet
long, and 52 feet high. A 300-horsepower steam engine and two generators provided electrical
power.

A manmade lake of about 100 acres was filled each fall from Silver Creek. Harvesting began
when the ice was eight inches thick. It was scored, sawed, and the blocks poled along an open
channel to elevators and into the ice rooms, where they were packed in sawdust. In the spring the
lake was drained, leaving a small fish pond.

The ice was used in refrigerated railcars and meat-packing plants, and was also sold to businesses
in eastern Nebraska. In 1899, 100,000 tons of ice were harvested. It was common to ship 100 or
more railcars of ice each month during the summer. Twenty-five employees lived nearby, and
300 men were hired during the busy season. The icehouse burned in 1921. In 1930 Memphis
State Recreation Area was established at the site of the icehouse and lake.

Ashland-Saline Ford Historical Preservation Society, 1998
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Nebraska State Historical Society
Memphis State Recreation Area, on Nebr. 63 at Memphis
Saunders County
Marker 409
Details
HM NumberHM1IX8
Series This marker is part of the Nebraska: Nebraska State Historical Society series
Tags
Marker Number409
Year Placed1998
Placed ByAshland-Saline Ford Historical Preservation Society; Nebraska Games and Park Commission; Nebraska State Historical Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, January 23rd, 2015 at 1:01pm PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14T E 715283 N 4552795
Decimal Degrees41.09793333, -96.43651667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 41° 5.876', W 96° 26.191'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds41° 5' 52.56" N, 96° 26' 11.46" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)402
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 108 Alton St, Ashland NE 68003, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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