Ice House Museum

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Ice House Museum This unique structure is the only museum in the US that combines an original ice house with a cool collection of ice harvesting artifacts and archives.

Built in 1921, this unique round structure was originally home to the flourishing Cedar Falls Ice and Fuel Company. It stored six to eight thousand tons of ice each year—cut right from the frozen Cedar River. Now it is the only museum in the United States that combines an original ice house with an extensive collection of ice harvesting artifacts and archives. Smell the original wooden beams, see

the tools that carved the ice, test your strength at lifting blocks of ice, and imagine the chill of working on the frozen Cedar River. Visit our first floor exhibits to experience an international industry that brought fresh food to the family table. Explore our River Walk balcony to learn how the Cedar River shaped businesses, culture, and everyday lives in Cedar Falls.

12/01/2025

Nefarious people are taking advantage of the Ice Harvest Festival to scam our friends and supporters. The Cedar Falls Historical Society is the only entity coordinating vendors for this event. Please block and report anyone who claims otherwise!

Less than a month to our Ice Harvest Festival!Looking forward to seeing you at Big Woods Lake on February 1st! ❄️🩵🧊💙☃️B...
03/01/2025

Less than a month to our Ice Harvest Festival!
Looking forward to seeing you at Big Woods Lake on February 1st! ❄️🩵🧊💙☃️

Big thanks to our sponsors:
Thrivent Financial: Midwest Group Cedar Falls Community Credit Union Western Home Communities Witham Auto Centers - Cedar Falls, Waterloo & La Porte City Moment in Thyme

Happy new year from all of us at the Cedar Falls Historical Society!
01/01/2025

Happy new year from all of us at the Cedar Falls Historical Society!

09/12/2024

A poem by Tyler Sullivan AKA Iowa Scenic Views By Foot

Sitting along the Cedar River
Built out of hollow clay tile in 1921, the famous Ice House can be found
The first ice house was built from wood, and was burnt to the ground
With the winter months rapidly approaching
The community came together to build the ice house we know as today
The ice house was built round for less surface area, in order to protect the coldness of the ice
Ice wagons were used to deliver ice to the homes
The Amish would use saws and gasoline saws to cut the ice
Inside the museum, you can see these tools on display
They would measure the ice to ensure it is deep enough
At least 9 to 20 inches thick
A typical ice block would weigh up to 280 pounds, and was cut from the river
Once the ice was traveled to the ice house, sawdust was used as an insulator
In order to keep the ice cold, and from sticking together
Blacksmiths would weld thongs, that were used to pick up the ice, once out of the river
The best way to encounter this iconic experience firsthand is to attend the Harvest Festival
The first two weekends in February when the river is still frozen
If that is not enough first hand experience for you
I challenge you, to take step inside this wonderful ice house museum
You will not only learn more about the history I just told you about
But to be able to step inside this ice house will be just the tip of the iceberg!
2 April 2023 ( #460, Ice House – Black Hawk County) completed
Cedar Falls Historical Society

Save the date! Just 2 months until our Ice Harvest Festival! Saturday, February 1st on the north shore of Big Woods La...
01/12/2024

Save the date! Just 2 months until our Ice Harvest Festival! Saturday, February 1st on the north shore of Big Woods Lake in Cedar Falls. Ice harvesting demonstrations at 10:00 and 1:00. Fun for the whole family, FREE! ⛄❄🧊🤍🧤

Thanks for a great season! See you in the spring!
20/11/2024

Thanks for a great season! See you in the spring!

Well done, Julie and Kay! What a nice honor!
01/08/2024

Well done, Julie and Kay! What a nice honor!

More information at IowaMuseums.org / Resources / News

The little unicorn bag has been picked up! 😊🩷🦄If you lost this cute little backpack in a porta potty near the Ice House ...
30/06/2024

The little unicorn bag has been picked up! 😊🩷🦄

If you lost this cute little backpack in a porta potty near the Ice House Museum on Sunday afternoon, stop by before 5 o’clock to claim it. After 5 o’clock, it will be heading over to the Victorian house where it can be retrieved after 10 o’clock on Tuesday morning.

The Official Sturgis Falls Celebration, Inc. begins today! We hope you will stop by our museums this weekend to learn a...
28/06/2024

The Official Sturgis Falls Celebration, Inc. begins today! We hope you will stop by our museums this weekend to learn about and celebrate the history of Cedar Falls!

Thanks to generous contributions from Blackhawk Sprinklers, Cedar Falls Tourism, Copyworks - Cedar Falls, Bank, Cedar Falls, and Brad Jacobson - State Farm Agent, our Ice House Museum will have FREE admission all weekend. Our Victorian House Museum and Schoolhouse Museum will be FREE as usual.

Hours for all three buildings will be 1:00-5:00 on Saturday and Sunday. The Victorian House will also be open until 4:00 today.

Caricature Artist, Hamilton - Artist , will be at the Victorian House Museum doing sketches in the Victorian House classroom today, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00-4:00.

The William J. Lenoir trains will be running in the lower level of the Victorian House Museum today from noon to 4:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-5:00.

We are looking forward to having you MAKING MEMORIES and exploring the history of Cedar Falls in our museums June 28-30! See you then!

21/06/2024

The 2024 Official Sturgis Falls Celebration, Inc. is just ONE WEEK AWAY! Join us at the Cedar Falls Historical Society for a weekend of family fun!

Thanks to generous contributions from Blackhawk Sprinklers, Cedar Falls Tourism, Copyworks - Cedar Falls, Bank, Flowerama Cedar Falls, and Brad Jacobson - State Farm Agent, our House Museum will have FREE admission all weekend. Our Victorian House Museum and Schoolhouse Museum will be FREE as usual.

Hours for all three buildings will be 1:00-5:00 on Saturday and Sunday. The Victorian House will also be open until 4:00 on Friday.

Caricature Artist, , will be at the Victorian House Museum doing sketches in the Victorian House classroom Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00-4:00.

The William J. Lenoir trains will be running in the lower level of the Victorian House Museum Friday noon to 4:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-5:00.

We are looking forward to having you MAKING MEMORIES and exploring the history of Cedar Falls in our museums June 28-30! See you then!

Join the Cedar Falls Historical Society for a weekend of family fun ONE MONTH FROM NOW during the 2024 Sturgis Falls Ce...
30/05/2024

Join the Cedar Falls Historical Society for a weekend of family fun ONE MONTH FROM NOW during the 2024 Sturgis Falls Celebration!

Thanks to generous contributions from Blackhawk Sprinklers, Cedar Falls Tourism, Copyworks - Cedar Falls, Bank, Flowerama Cedar Falls, and Brad Jacobson - State Farm Agent , our Ice House Museum will have FREE admission all weekend. Our Victorian House Museum and Schoolhouse Museum will be FREE as usual.

Hours for all three buildings will be 1:00-5:00 on Saturday and Sunday. The Victorian House will also be open until 4:00 on Friday.

Caricature Artist, Gene Hamilton, will be at the Victorian House Museum doing sketches in the Victorian House classroom Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00-4:00.

The William J. Lenoir trains will be running in the lower level of the Victorian House Museum Friday noon to 4:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-5:00.

We are looking forward to having you MAKING MEMORIES and exploring the history of Cedar Falls in our museums June 28-30! See you then!

27/05/2024
All three of our historic museums will be closed this weekend in honor of Memorial Day.
24/05/2024

All three of our historic museums will be closed this weekend in honor of Memorial Day.

We had fun with first graders from AGWSR at the Ice House and Schoolhouse today!
17/05/2024

We had fun with first graders from AGWSR at the Ice House and Schoolhouse today!

The Cedar Falls Historical Society is pleased to announce that our Ice House Museum has once again been designated a Blu...
17/05/2024

The Cedar Falls Historical Society is pleased to announce that our Ice House Museum has once again been designated a Blue Star Museum by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Blue Star Museums is a program which provides free admission to our nation’s active-duty military personnel and up to five members of their families this summer. The 2024 program will begin tomorrow, Saturday, May 18, 2024 (Armed Forces Day) and ends on Monday, September 2, 2024 (Labor Day).

The free admission program is available for those currently serving in the United States Military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard as well as Active Duty and Reservists, National Guardsman (regardless of status), U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members.

Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card for entrance into a participating Blue Star Museum.

Just a reminder that all of our museums will be closed today so our volunteers can spend Mothers Day with their families...
12/05/2024

Just a reminder that all of our museums will be closed today so our volunteers can spend Mothers Day with their families.
Enjoy this three-generation photo-postcard of Mabel (Riehm) Rosenthal, her mother Margaret M. (Heller) Riehm Harper, and her daughter Esther Rosenthal. Inscribed on verso in three different hands: Great Grandma Harper, Mabel Rosenthal, Esther Sanders Rosenthal when picture taken. Myself Daughter & Grand daughter. Mrs. Margaret Harper, Rosecliff, from the Cedar Falls Historical Society archives.

Our Ice House Museum and Schoolhouse Museum open for the season TOMORROW (May 4)--HOORAY! Hours for both museums are 1:...
03/05/2024

Our Ice House Museum and Schoolhouse Museum open for the season TOMORROW (May 4)--HOORAY!

Hours for both museums are 1:00-4:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays,
Admission fees for the Ice House are $5.00 for anyone 13 and older, and FREE for those 12 and under. There is no admission fee for the Schoolhouse.

We look forward to seeing you in our museums this summer!

It's getting to be that time of year again! 🌞🕶 In just one week, our seasonal museums (the Ice House Museum and the Sch...
27/04/2024

It's getting to be that time of year again! 🌞🕶 In just one week, our seasonal museums (the Ice House Museum and the Schoolhouse Museum) open back up to the public!

Hours for both buildings are Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 1:00-4:00 pm. The Ice House has a $5 admission fee for visitors who are 13 and older and is FREE for those 12 and under. The Schoolhouse is FREE for all visitors. We hope to see you between May 4 and October 20!

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Our Story

Built in 1921, this unique round structure was originally home to the flourishing Cedar Falls Ice and Fuel Company. It stored six to eight thousand tons of ice each year—cut right from the frozen Cedar River. Now it is the only museum in the United States that combines an original ice house with an extensive collection of ice harvesting artifacts and archives. Smell the original wooden beams, see the tools that carved the ice, test your strength at lifting blocks of ice, and imagine the chill of working on the frozen Cedar River. Visit our first floor exhibits to experience an international industry that brought fresh food to the family table. Explore our River Walk balcony to learn how the Cedar River shaped businesses, culture, and everyday lives in Cedar Falls.