Ever wonder how people chilled their milk, meats, veggies, and of course their beer during the warm summer months on the lake? Ice from an ice-house of course.  David F. Drew writes in his book An Almanac of the Paine Neighborhood and Watchic Pond From 1800 to 1935 “When my family came to camp in the spring and fall, our first chore was to get a piece of ice for the icebox. It would be covered with sawdust or hay chaff, depending on which shed it came out of. I was very happy when we bought our first electric icebox in 1937.”

Read an excerpt from the book Paine Almanac on the Ice House. And if you would like the full book (169 pages) covering most of the camps around the lake and their history, contact Donal Drew at 262 Pequawket Trail, Standish, ME 04084 and phone at 207-756-4261.

January, 1929. William and Byron Waterman on the ice slide, checking the progress of ice cakes as they were moved into the ice house.