How did ice cream stay cold before people had freezers?

Ice cream and other foods were kept cold for a short period of time in iceboxes. These were usually wooden pieces of furniture that had a metal-lined box at the top. The ice blocks would be placed in the top of the icebox.

An iceman would regularly deliver large blocks of ice. The ice usually came from frozen lakes or ponds. Ice for use during the warm months was stored in ice cellars — holes in the ground lined with straw or wood.