(Source of picture: Florida State Archives)

Here's a barefooted iceman's helper in Jacksonville in about 1897.  Ice merchants made their daily rounds, delivering frozen water to homes & businesses.  Many people relied on iceboxes before electric refrigerators became widespread during the mid 1900s.  This African American boy carried tongs to try to manhandle large blocks of ice. 

During the later 1800s, young African Americans took part in the delivery of ice to Mulberry Grove Plantation, which was located in the vicinity of today's NAS Jacksonville base.  Steamboats brought supplies to the plantation's private docks on the St. Johns River.  Here's how the ice arrangement worked, according to Sarah Louis (Pearson) Richardson in a WPA interview from 1939:  "Ice would be delivered in 100-lb. blocks.  The colored house boys had a hand cart on which it was transferred and carried to the cellar under the old house..., and there it was slid down a board placed over the steps.  There were two compartments in the cellar:  In the front was a large box and there the ice was stored, the fresh meat and other perishables being placed in nice clean cloth bags on the ice and covered in sawdust.  In the back compartment of the cellar, canned fruit, jellies and preserves were stored.  The cellar had an outside door which was kept locked."