Winter’s Coolest Tradition
Join us for a traditional ice harvest! We’re continuing to go back to our roots and reflecting upon the historical traditions of the ice harvest.
In the days before mechanical refrigeration, ice harvesting was an essential wintertime activity. The ice harvested in the winter would be used to keep food and agricultural products cold in the warmer months. Just as farmers did a century ago, we’ll be monitoring ice and weather conditions to determine the best time for the best harvest.
Ice Harvest Scheduled for January 25!
With the cold temperatures, we have enough ice on the pond that we can schedule our harvest for Saturday, January 25, from 10am-3pm. More details about the harvest will be available soon.
Instead of setting a date months in advance, we are going to watch the ice and weather to schedule a day (or set of days) as we have a better idea of when ice harvesting will be possible. We will do our best to provide as much advance notice as ice conditions and weather forecasts allow.
Admission is by donation rather than our usual rates.
Ice Harvest scheduling and other information will be added here (and Facebook and Instagram) as we are able to confirm based on ice and weather conditions.
2025 ICE UPDATES:
- January 13: The ice has grown to approximately 5.5 inches thick. We have scheduled Ice Harvest for January 25!
- January 7: The ice on the pond is approximately 2 inches thick.
Check back here and on social media often as we post the latest updates on ice conditions and our planned harvest activities.
Harvesting Ice
Hanford Mills Museum’s annual Ice Harvest celebrates the historic and community traditions of harvesting ice. Learn about the process, from measuring the ice to packing it in the ice house.
The Science of Ice and Ice Houses
Why was ice such an important crop before mechanical refrigeration? Ice is full of energy, waiting to be released. Learn more about the science of ice and how Hanford Mills keeps its ice crop cold through the summer.
Ice and a Changing Climate
In New York State, climate change impacts our winter temperatures, and those changes impact the environment, wildlife, and economies. We can see the impacts of these changes at our annual Ice Harvest.