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.
- We are not having a soup sale this year. You are welcome to bring lunch and snacks to eat on the site. Hot beverages will be available in the Learning Lab.
- Vendors will include:
- Blue Merle Apiaries will sell honey and honey by-products.
- Byebrook Farm will sell Farmstead Gouda cheese.
- Union Grove Distillery will sell their products.
We are currently planning for a public ice harvest, which means that visitors will be able to join us on the pond to cut ice blocks! We will announce any changes to this plan if ice conditions change unexpectedly.
Public Cutting Rules:
- All visitors who want to participate in cutting will sign a release form. Adults will complete the form for anyone under the age of 18.
- To focus on the ice cutting experience, and to ensure safety for everyone:
- No phones or cameras may be used on the ice. You are welcome to take photos from the shore, and we will have a photographer on site for the day. We will also have a photo station set up near the pond.
- Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied onto the ice by an adult.
2025 ICE UPDATES:
- January 21: We have approximately 8 inches of ice on the mill pond, which means we are currently planning for a public cutting on Saturday! We will continue to monitor ice conditions and will announce updates here as needed.
- 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.