South of Austin, TX you used to be able to see and/or visit a Texas Ice House just about anywhere. This institution was a combination store, gathering place, stop-on-the-way home for a beer place, even buy ice. Around 5 PM guys (and girls) would stop for an ice cold beer, chat a while with everyday buddies and then head for home with that loaf of bread you got at the same place. Now they are disappearing like home-made mincemeat pies. These places were not air-conditioned but had an "awning" out front with some BBQ tables for guests to sit and chat and drink their beer or Nehi pop and enjoy the breeze.
Credit the picture to the Kitchen Sisters on National Public Radio and some of the background, too.
10 comments:
The old ice house here on the westside of Cowtown had at one time renovated for a restaurant, now I think it is an Into The Garden store. Neat old building.
Weatherford has a quaint old ice house buildning as well - vacant and cobwebby now...
There was one in Houston I went to as it was next to the laundrymat . I was having a good time one night and the laundrymat closed ,when I left work the next day I had no laundry there someone took it !!! Old times . HeHe
Love your blog! I've just read through all of your archives - I've got you bookmarked now - I'll be back!
It seemed that the ice houses were everywhere in San Antonio. When we moved to Houston, they seemed to disappear. Our move was 35 years ago. Perhaps they were just not in our neighborhood, but I missed them
Grandma K, even when there were lots of ice houses in Houston they were in the South side and Pasadena. They served their purpose and passed on I guess. Texas Chttp://texas-chef.blogspot.com/hef San Diego, TX
Maybe we should start a committee to identify old icehouses worthy of historical protection. The Texas Historical Commission does so for churches and cemeteries, and icehouses surely resurrect many memories and are the site where many memories are buried. Of course, we'll need a list of locations. We'll discuss criteria AFTER we get there. Where should I go in Houston? Will Howard
Pop?!?!? No one in Texas ever drank any pop! The coke, soda water, or soft drink they preferred may have been Nehi, but there was never any such thing in Texas as a Nehi pop!
Sorry to differ, Anonymous. I've been in Texas 45 yrs and have seen Nehi here all 45 - especially in ice-houses.
My grandad delivered ice from Weatherford when he was a young man. We still have a set of huge ice tongs he used. I would love to see a list of locations as well.
I am really enjoying your blog. Keep up the good work!
Yeah! I remember!! We lived on E. Noble St, Perry, OK in 1935 and had a square card with 10-15-25-50 on it. You put it in the window with the number of pounds of ice you wanted and the ice man came and with a pick would chunk of a piece the size you wanted and bring it into the house and into the ice box. My sister and I woudl run out to the truck and pick up pieces of ice and chew on it when it was a hot day. No more ice box - no more ice man - no more ice tongs.
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