Knowlton Ice Museum, Michigan, United States

5B_D2002 5:00 PM Sep 28, 2014

A rare kind of museum; I never expected such quality in a small city.
This is not a small local museum like the ones you find in small towns. It is a "one-of-a-kind" museum. If you search for museums about ice harvesting in the US, this is the only result. Ice harvesting was done in the northern US and most harvesting came from the upper Great Lakes because of the quality of the water. Ice was shipped all over, including to the southern US, the Caribbean, India, etc. It was one of the major industries in the US at its peak. So if you want to see a detailed history of ice harvesting, this is probably the only museum in the US with displays like this. it is unique. It is not a display of a few items left over from the owner of an ice company. It is a vast collection of well preserved and maintained ice equipment. Knowlton was a delivery man for milk and other goods before he went into the ice business, He was an avid collector with pride in his collection. He has restored one of the earliest ice wagons, a Silverwood's milk truck, a model T and other vehicles. The collection contains ice boxes, from the earliest ones to those common in the 40's and 50's. It contains a kitchen of that time period, and too many other displays to mention. There are photos and news clippings about Port Huron, large displays of interesting facts and pictures, and several interactive displays. The museum was developed by Knowlton and taken over by his family who have lovingly and with high standards turned it into a 10,000 square foot display. Despite its size and professionalism, it is family run and personal and inviting. For example, a sign asks you not to enter the kitchen display, but there are no ropes to keep you out. The sign simply asks you not to enter the kitchen because Mom is buy. It is so family friendly. There is a short professionally done video at the beginning with actual footage from ice harvesting operations as well as a brief history of ice harvesting and the modern ice-producing factories of today. This museum needs to be seen and appreciated. For many of us, it brings back memories of horse drawn wagons making daily milk deliveries and twice-weekly ice deliveries for the ice box. But Knowlton started the Party Ice Company. As the need for ice for ice boxes declined and railroad cars no longer needed ice, he saw the need for ice in service stations to sell for parties... hence the name "Party Ice Company". So I guess there are memories for everyone. :) Who could have believed that ice would be so interesting?

4Kathy K 5:00 PM May 2, 2014

Everything Ice
The ice museum is a must see if you are into history. The museum walks you through a time before refrigeration and how important "natural" ice was back in the day.