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HISTORY of The Apalachicola Ice Co.
Apalachicola Ice and Canning Company Incorporated in 1885, this company was the first in Apalachicola to use the ice-making principles discovered by Dr. John Gorrie. The company built a two-story wooden ice house on the riverfront, which housed the machinery and an insulated room for storing ice. The company operated until the mid-1920s, when it filed for bankruptcy.The original stockholders in the company were W. R. Brown, George Whiteside, William T. Orman, W. R.
Incorporated in 1907 by S. E. Rice, Jr., the People's Ice and Cold Storage Company was part of a larger commercial complex built between 1903 and 1909. The building was located at the corner of Avenue G and Water Street, and was a popular meeting spot from the early 1920s until it closed in the mid-1940s. Dr. John Gorrie, a physician and scientist in Apalachicola, discovered the cold-air process of refrigeration in 1849. He patented an ice machine in 1850, which laid the groundwork for modern refrigeration and air conditioning. His machine made ice possible in places where it was previously difficult to obtain, such as during ice famines and hot summers.
Dr. John Gorrie
Born on October 3, 1803, on the Island of Nevis in the Leeward Islands to Scottish parents, he spent his early years in South Carolina. He pursued his medical education at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western District of New York located in Fairfield, New York.
In1833, he relocated to Apalachicola, Florida, a port city along the Gulf coast. In addition to serving as the resident physician at two hospitals, Gorrie was actively involved in the community, holding various roles such as council member, postmaster, president of the Bank of Pensacola's Apalachicola Branch, Secretary of Masonic Lodge, and one of the founding vestrymen of Trinity Episcopal Church.
Gorrie Monument in Apalachicola, FL
Gorrie's medical research focused on tropical diseases, especially yellow fever. During his time, the common belief was that diseases were caused by "bad air" or mal-. In response to this theory, he advocated for draining swamps and cooling sickrooms. To achieve this, he used ice in a basin hung from the ceiling, allowing cool air, which is heavier, to flow down over the patient and out through a low opening near the floor.
Another version of Gorrie's "cooling system was used when President James A. Garfield was dying in 1881. Naval engineers built a box filled with cloths that had been soaked in melted ice water. Then by allowing hot air to blow on the cloths it decreased the room temperature by 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The problem with this method was essentially the same problem Gorrie had. It required an enormous amount of ice to keep the room cooled continuously. Yet it was an important event in the history of air conditioning. It proved that Gorrie had the right idea!!