Ybor City Museum State Park Tour

Of course, there was no refrigeration, so ice was purchased in large blocks as often as necessary. There were no ice factories in Tampa, so the commodity was shipped in by rail, which added to its cost. It is said that the immigrants spent more on ice than they did on wood or kerosene.

Ice was delivered in 25 pound increments. It is interesting the way the immigrants let the ice delivery person know how much they needed. Notice the sign in this photo that has 25, 50, 75 and 100 on it? They would hang the sign outside their front porch on a nail (the same nail where fresh Cuban bread was hung when delivered). Whatever number was at the top — 25, 50, 75 or 100 — was how many pounds of ice they wanted left on their porch.

By the way, a 25 pound block of ice was a perfect fit in the tiny iceboxes of the day.