When Were Iceboxes Used?

1840s. The first iceboxes were made by carpenters, designed to take advantage of the regular household delivery of large blocks of ice. They were insulated wooden boxes lined with tin or zinc and used to hold blocks of ice to keep the food cool.

When did ice boxes stop being used?

Based on my research, the ice box essentially disappeared during the 1950s as electric household refrigerators became so cheap and the country so prosperous that basically anybody could afford them. When that happened, the use of the word “ice box” declined with the appliance that it represented.

How long were iceboxes used?

Into the 1930s, households used large blocks of ice to keep food cold in "iceboxes." This photo is from the 1920s. Courtesy of the Sloane Collection. By the end of the 1800s, many American households stored their perishable food in an insulated "icebox" that was usually made of wood and lined with tin or zinc.