Melbourne Ice Plant
Melbourne, United States
This building was started in December, 1926, by Florida Power and Light Co. as a 150-ton ice plant. The plant was to be built in units, with the first unit having a 50-ton capacity. Cost of the building was about $100,000.<br><br> However, the ice plant never went beyond the 50-ton capacity, probably because other ice plants were built closer to the South Florida vegetable fields. <br><br> Before this plant was built, one in Fort Pierce shipped ice to Melbourne on the Florida East Coast Railway. Someone would meet the train with a horse and wagon and deliver ice door-to-door. <br><br> Those who wanted to make ice cream in hand-cranked home units would bury a block of ice in a hole in the ground until Sunday rolled around, then they made ice cream for the whole family.