- 121 Shanley St.
- Photo: © Dougal Bichan
It is believed that this small yellow building was at one time an ice house. Before refrigerators were a common feature in homes, people would use blocks of ice during the summer to preserve food, cool drinks, or prepare frozen deserts. In winter months, ice was cut from a lake north of the city and dragged by sled to a building such as this one. The ice would be stored in the cool basement and packed with straw and sawdust for insulation, which would allow it to remain frozen for several months. Once summer arrived, the ice would be cut into more manageable blocks and loaded onto a wagon to be delivered to individual homes.
The purple-leaved tree in front of the house is a Norway maple cultivar called a Schwedler (Acer platanoides ‘Schwedlerii’). It is often mistakenly referred to as a red maple (Acer rubrum) because of its leaf colour; however, red maples’ leaves are green throughout the spring and summer, only turning bright red in the fall. The evergreen tree next to it is an eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis), which is native to Ontario. This species is often planted in rows and trimmed to form a manicured hedge. In its native setting, it would be found in swampy areas, often growing in small stands of all the same species.
- Next stop: Downtown de-fence
- Previous stop: Turkish hazel
- Return to map of: Dovercourt Park
Funding for the program is generously provided by:
