Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Jamaica Pond isn't just a place for people to go for a run, skate, or sail, it used to be home to an ice empire in the 1800s.
During that time, the banks of the pond were covered with ice houses, where men would work to harvest ice. Back then ice was considered a luxury for the wealthy. Boston Park Ranger Nathan Smith said the men working on the ice generally made between $50-$75 a day in 2025 money to work out on the ice.
"At its height, the Jamaica Pond ice industry employed just around 350 men and they got paid a little under $1.75 a day," Smith said. "Originally it was all done by hand with big saws and that took a lot of time and a lot of resources."
The industry really took off thanks to Boston's so-called "Ice King" Frederic Tudor. He's credited with inventing a way to insulate ice using sawdust and straw, which allowed companies to ship ice all around the world.
"They would ship it out to India, China, Australia, the Caribbean you name it," Smith said.
The industry thrived until about the time of World War I when the first refrigerator and freezers were invented.
WBZ's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.