For many years, an icehouse stood on the southern shore of Birge Pond at the site of the present-day parking lot. Before refrigeration, ice was an important commodity, and Birge Pond was the largest supplier of ice to the City of Bristol. The icehouse was a large barn about 60 feet long by 30 feet wide and two stories tall. Packed in dry sawdust and ventilated to allow the escape of warm moist air, quality ice might keep for as long as 2 to 3 years. Originally owned by Eli Norton, it later belonged to the Southern New England Ice House, which retained ownership until 1933, when the icehouse, a victim of modern technology, was finally torn down.