Ice House

A historic image of the Hampton ice house taken in 1959.

Library of Congress

Quick Facts

Location:

Towson, MD

Significance:

The ice house was a sign of wealth showing that the Ridgelys had the money both for the structure and the labor force to maintain it year round.

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

Amenities

2 listed

Cellular Signal, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

This subterranean ice house was built between 1783 and 1790 to the northwest of the Mansion. Constructed with rubble stone with a brick dome roof covered with earth, the Hampton Ice House was designed and built to last for generations. It was larger and deeper than typical commercial ice pits during the historic period. The underground space was cylindrical and tapered towards the bottom. On the north side of the structure, a short passage opened up to the space below for loading ice. On the south side of the structure, a wider, tunneled passage with steps provided access for ice retrieval.

For years, every winter enslaved people would go out to ponds to cut up large cubes of ice and stack inside this structure seperating each piece with hay. With the storage being below ground and covered by both stone and earth, the ice created a natural refrigeration that would allow ice to be stored far into the summer. When entering the icehouse, visitors should use caution due to narrow steps and low visibility.