Root Cellars
Root Cellars were commonly used by settlers and farmers to preserve harvested food throughout the year. Usually they were dug into a hillside, under the house, or under the barn. To help maintain cooler temperatures during the warmer summer months, some people would cut ice blocks from lakes or ponds during the winter and store them in an ice house insulated with sawdust. (sawdust is a poor conductor and thus a decent and cheap insulator) During the summer months the ice could be used for refrigeration in a root cellar, chilling drinks, making ice cream, or for resale. Proper ventilation in the root cellar was important to prevent the food from spoiling, so the cellars were usually vented. Also, some form of drainage was employed to remove water from melted ice.
