The recent ice brings to mind slippery roads and loss of power, but in the 18th and 19th centuries ice was considered a valuable commodity. Blocks of ice were harvested from rivers and creeks and stored in specially built structures with thick walls. Keeping the ice frozen before electricity was important to keep food from spoiling when summer temperatures began to soar. These iron ice tongs were used to carry blocks of ice from Catawba Creek to an “ice house” at Wiloma, a Botetourt County home built in 1840. They were donated to the Botetourt Museum of History and Culture by Gladys Compton and are on display there in Fincastle.
~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
