Near Charlottesville in Albemarle County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ice House
— Thomas Jefferson's Monticello —
The circular Ice House, 16 feet across and 16 feet deep, was intentionally located on the colder, north side of the house to help preserve the ice. The North Terrace above offered further protection from sun and water. The access door was locked for safety and to prevent theft.
If it is now as cold with you as it is here I am in hopes you will be able and ready to fill the icehouse. It would be a real calamity should we not have ice to do it, as it would require double the quantity of fresh meat in summer had we not ice to keep it.
Thomas Jefferson to Edmund Bacon, January 3, 1809
Maintaining a Store of Ice
When winter weather yielded ice as least an inch thick, Jefferson's overseer assembled a force of carts and wagons with teams and drivers, many of them hired locally, to transport the ice to the mountaintop. When the Ice House was filled for the first time, Jefferson recorded that it had "taken 62 waggon loads of ice" at a cost of $70 for "labour, feeding, drink, etc."
The ice was packed solid and insulated around the perimeter with straw or wood shavings. Each week as the ice melted, water had to be drawn off either by the bucket or pulley system Jefferson first envisioned, a pump, or a hand-drawn bucket.
Combatting Fire
The contents of the Ice House once served another purpose--saving the main part of the house from fire. Jefferson wrote to a friend in May 1819 about a blaze that damaged the North Pavilion: "Our snow house enabled us so far to cover with snow the adjacent terra (terrace) which connected it with the main building as to prevent its affecting that."
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #03 Thomas Jefferson series list. A significant historical date for this entry is January 3, 1826.
Location. 38° 0.638′ N, 78° 27.149′ W. Marker is near Charlottesville, Virginia, in Albemarle County. Marker can be reached from Thomas Jefferson Parkway. Marker is on the grounds of Monticello and requires an entrance fee. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 949 Monticello Loop, Charlottesville VA 22902, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. North Terrace Wing (within shouting distance of this marker); North Pavilion (within shouting distance of this marker); Barrier (within shouting distance of this marker); Making Monticello (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sally Hemings (about 300 feet away); Sally Hemings's Life (about 300 feet away); A Presidential Scandal: (about 300 feet away); South Pavilion (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlottesville.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 28, 2013, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 867 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 28, 2013, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 15, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 3. submitted on August 28, 2013, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.