The Ice House
In 1909, H.R. Hudson, then President of the Atoka Railroad, promoted, organized and incorporated the Edmond Ice Company under the laws of Oklahoma. The original stockholders were Frank E. Buell, G.H. Fink, and Ed L. Shelden. There were four employees and Ed Shelden was the manager in the early days of operation. The Ice House had a daily demand of four or five tons of ice and the facility could house ten tons.
This plant was a great boon to Edmond, because until the time it was built, all ice coming into Edmond had been shipped by the Dawson Livery Stable and marketed from their storage boxes. The May 1, 1894 issue carried the announcement that Dawson and Taylor would deliver ice to the houses where “the card was put out.” This was the first ice delivery service in Edmond.
Customers could dial 132 and make an order for ice or Ed L. Shelden’s residence by dialing 86 for prompt delivery of ice orders “to any part of the city.” Wagons hauling Edmond Ice Co. ice made regular routes especially when the weather was warm within the town of Edmond.
In 1926, the ice capacity of the plant was doubled and a creamery was added. 500 townspeople attended the opening of the Edmond Creamery and Ice Cream Factory in April. At their public invitation, attendees enjoyed free ice cream and hot biscuits furnished by the neighboring business “Rodkey’s Best Flour.” The biscuits were served with the creamery’s “A-1” product “Shelden’s Golden Glow Butter.”
An ice dock was built in April of 1932 west of old Central Hall on First Street so that customers could pick up their ice without having to cross the train tracks.
In its hey day, the Edmond Ice Company and Creamery shipped butter to nearby towns, stores in Oklahoma City and proximity to the train tracks and refrigerated cars helped to deliver a third of their products all the way to Chicago. The ice scoring machine purchased in 1927 scored 300 pound blocks into smaller blocks of ice weighing 25, 50 and 100 pounds.
The Original Ice House Structure built in Edmond was located just west of the Edmond Train Station in 1901. The Creamery was added later in 1921.
The original Ice House building was constructed in 1901 on 103 West Second in Edmond Oklahoma. All that remains of the original structure are portions of the foundation. The Creamery building, (pictured below), completed in 1921 just south of the original Ice Company Structure, and is the only remaining building of former Edmond Ice Company. Ironically, many residents still refer to the Creamery as the “Ice House,” even though the original Ice House no longer stands.
Edmond Creamery Building
Fordice, Stella Barton, A History of Edmond