One of Clinton’s oldest residents has a deep connection to the agricultural business that’s lasted well over seven decades.
South Street resident Carl Christ started a long career in agriculture when he worked at his family’s milk delivery business. Before his family bought the milk delivery business, Christ’s grandfather, Martin, father, Ludwig, and uncle, Carl, worked delivering ice.
The Christs harvested ice from two ponds in the area of Brimfield and New streets in Clinton during the 1920s through the 1940s before refrigeration became popular. Ice was cut from the ponds using a saw.
Horses and a plow were used before cutting to clear the snow off the ice-covered ponds. Once the ice was cut, it was delivered, or it was stored in an icehouse.
In warm weather months sawdust was put on the ice blocks to keep them insulated. Before delivery to the many iceboxes across the Village of Clinton and surrounding area, water from Oriskany Creek was used to clean off the sawdust.
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