Will this be a winter for the history books?

Riverhead has received a lot of snow so far this winter season making it a winter to remember. But has it been that cold and have we had that much snow? Will this winter be a winter to remember – or were there worse winters?

At one time, extremely cold weather presented local residents with commercial opportunities. Merritt’s Pond in Riverhead yielded fine quality ice during the winter months. The ice was sold to local area residents, the Metropolitan Ice Cream Manufacturing Company and the Reid Ice Cream Co. of Brooklyn.

The Merritt’s Pond ice house, built in late 1891 by Chris Ammann, was owned by Frank C. Lane, who filling his ice house with ice eight inches thick cut from Merritt’s Pond.

One thousand, four hundred tons of ice were cut on Merritt’s Pond in 1902; 75 tons in 1903; 2,200 tons were cut in three days in January 1905.  Ice was cut by hand using an iron hand tool. The iron tool used by Frank Lane was approximately five feet long having a six-inch wide wedge at one end. By lifting the tool and letting it drop between your legs you would be able to create a crevasse in the ice.

Other ice houses in town also did similar business at Upper Mills where the Peconic River is fresh water.

Snowfall in the 1870s stopped the Long Island Railroad dead in its tracks one winter between December 21st and the 2nd week of February. So much snow fell that locomotives were unable to go east or west and were just abandoned where they stopped.

In later years many people drove their cars from Hampton Bays to Jamesport, not around the forks, but across the Peconic Bay. Today the bay’s ice may be thick enough for ice skating, but not to drive a car across. Our temperatures today are not well below zero for weeks at a time as it was during the winters of the 1800s.

Town records show that a Commissioner of Highway and Overseers of Roads was elected on a yearly basis. Many documents indicate how many days property owners worked on the roads to make them passable – year round. Even the widows whose property abutted the road were expected to do something. No one was paid for their work, but they were fined if they did not complete the number of days assigned to them. (See note below.) Shoveling was done by hand since engine-powered plows had not been invented. Sometimes a farmer was lucky enough to own a snow plow and would hook up old Dobbin to create a path from his house to his neighbors or further. This was the way the dirt road – there were no paved roads – was plowed.

Snow was not a problem in bygone days! After plowing, Dobbin would have been harnessed up to a sleigh and off the family would have gone to church or the neighbors. Rocks would have been heated in the Franklin stove and put in the bottom of the sleigh to keep your feet warm. Blankets would also have been warmed before being wrapped around your legs. With hat securely tied down, and jingle bells attached to the harness, away you would go.

A gentleman named Fred Corwin, who lived on Roanoke Avenue, hooked up his dapple-gray horse (name unknown) to his snow plow and for 40 years walked up and down Main Street and the side streets in Riverhead village clearing a wide sidewalk path for those on foot. He received no compensation except a thank you from the store owners and residents alike.

Looking back on the hardships people suffered during the winters in days of yore, we are extremely lucky to have all our modern conveniences.

Highway overseer report
This original document is in possession of the Riverhead Town Historian. Dated April 1, 1856, this report is by John Hulse, Overseer of District 13. It listed those who did and did not work on the road. He collected $10.00 in fines from those who did not do their share. Though yellow with age the document it is in good condition. The color has been removed for easier reading.

Georgette L. Case is the Riverhead Town Historian.