The rise in the use of ice by individuals was in part due to the improvements in ice boxes, specifically incorporating insulation and circulation for better food preservation. By the mid 1800’s the ice box was commonly found in middle class American homes.
The Kennebec River dominated the ice harvesting industry in Maine, providing more than half of the Statewide export of ice. By 1886 shipments of ice from the Kennebec topped the million-ton mark and stayed over a million for the next decade. Most of the Kennebec ice was sold in cities along the U.S. Atlantic coast.