Timeline: 1805 – Beginning of the Natural Ice Trade

#5 Frederic Tudor young - Ice tradeFrederick Tudor (1783–1864) founder of the Natural Ice Trade was known as the “Ice King.” Tudor came from a wealthy Boston family; instead of following in his brother’s footsteps and going to Harvard, he quit school at age 13. An ambitious young man he worked on the family farm and in the Boston harbor. During this time, Tudor had the idea of shipping frozen water to the colonists in the West Indies.

Tudor’s 1st shipment took place in 1806 when he purchased a brig named “Favorite”. Ice harvested from his family’s estate in Saugus MA and purchased from local Boston farmers was shipped to the island of Martinique. This 1st attempt to export ice to another country was unsuccessful since there was no place to store the ice. Tudor used the unsold ice to bring back fruit from Havana.

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