Other major commodities of the era included a thriving ice industry including the cutting, storing and shipping of this product. Before the availability of electric and gas refrigeration in the 1930's and '40's food was preserved in ice boxes supplied in the winter time by the ponds and lakes in the Worcester area. The major hurdle this industry had to overcome was the storage of ice that had been harvested and cut into blocks. Several natural materials were tried until sawdust was found to be the best. The blocks were piled several stories high in an ice house barn and covered with sawdust, an abundant product given the many woodworking and furniture factories in the area. Ice was hand sawn at first, then power sawn into large blocks which were conveyed to the local ice barn for storage and to the ice truck and freight cars for shipment in the export market. This market extended as far away as the Caribbean Sea to supply the hotels in this remote land.
Longtime local resident and Tatnuck Board Member, Danial Dick recollects:
"The ice man in his small truck was a familiar site in every neighborhood. He could tell if a customer needed ice by the card placed in a front window.
Right side up, yes! upside down, no.
The ice man had to be strong to carry blocks weighing 30 pounds and more on his back that was shielded by a large leather pad He would go along house by house, sometimes up several flights of stairs. He was versatile with his ice pick, which he used to cut the blocks into the sizes that would fit each ice box.
It was a pleasure on a hot summer's day to climb up on the back step of the truck and pick out several slivers of ice to suck. We didn't think about germs in the ice, any more then we thought about germs coming from milk that was once carted around in large galvanized containers and ladled out one cup at a time. This raw and exposed milk was known to carry polio and typhoid with it and did. Maybe the ice did too.
We children did not worry about germs at all; we were going to live forever...".
The English who first settled in the Atlantic states were accomplished canal and dam builders. They were also among the first to harness steam power as a powerful substitute for water power as coal became available in England and then in Pennsylvania. William Merrifield, a skilled dam builder and industrial entrepreneur, built the dam at Smith Pond, where McDonald's now stands in Tatnuck Square. This dam provided the water for the satinette mill which stood across the street at the time. Satinette, a popular substitute for satin, was one of the many forms of textiles produced along the tributaries of the Blackstone River. Along with a collection of steel factories and metal shops, these entrepreneurs provided the beginnings of the American Industrial Revolution of which we are familiar with from school history books.
The industrial factories of the northeast also attracted many new settlers in search of the promised and much needed work necessary to support their families. Patch's Pond was a particular attraction to the Finnish settlers who worked in the machine shops in what is now the downtown area of Worcester. These settlers built camps on Patch's Pond where they were able to establish themselves during the summer months.
Daniel Dick states that:
"every Finn must live near fresh water or have a sauna in their home" "I remember," Dan says, "that as a young boy at the time, the work in the fields and factories always had to give way to the days of summer and the joys of being outdoors in a natural environment with much to offer."
This natural environment provided enjoyment for the local population, as well as opportunities for world class athletes such as Marshall "Major" Taylor who used the Tatnuck area as a training ground for his cycling feats and who is considered one of the first African American sports heroes. Although residents of the Tatnuck Watershed will still tell you that they enjoy the scenic overlooks of Coes and Patch's Ponds and although there are still bountiful recreational opportunities in the forests and waterways of Tatnuck Watershed, residents will also tell you that it is not the same "natural" environment that it once was.
Today, development pressures are continuously encroaching on the remaining forested areas in the Tatnuck Brook Watershed and contaminated sediments and high pollution often cause the closure of the few public beaches remaining in the watershed. Since 1986 we community members have recognized the value of preserving the area for future generations and have established a watershed awareness and "community watchdog" organization that is now known as the Tatnuck Brook Watershed Association (TWBA). Originally known as the Coes Pond Watershed Association, members of our organization realized the necessity to extend the borders to include the greater picture of the Tatnuck Watershed. TWBA currently has successful and meaningful relationships with the City Parks and Public Works departments, the Blackstone River Heritage Commission, and our elected representatives at the city, state , and federal levels. We receive support and collaboration from the Worcester County Fish and Game Department and the Greater Worcester Land Trust (GWLC). We are involved in a number of community projects, including the restoration of Coes dam and the surrounding area, and have initiated a watershed wide community festival and other successful awareness and fundraising events. We are currently looking for other motivated community members to join today and help us to achieve our goals of protecting our remaining natural resources.