Name/Title
Eberhardt Ice TruckEntry/Object ID
2020.80.1Scope and Content
Framed photo of the Eberhardt's Ice Truck. The sign on the side of the truck reads "CEBERHARDT WASAGA BEACH"Context
Charlie Eberhardt was one of Wasaga’s early entrepreneurs who moved to the area around 1905. Mr. Eberhardt caught fish and sold them to neighbours and summer visitors. He also operated an ice cutting business. The Eberhardt family lived at the corner of River Road West and Beck Street where Gough’s landing is now. There was a large barn behind their house where the ice was stored; covered with sawdust and woodchips. Part of the original barn was incorporated into the Gough's Landing condo complex when it was built. Ice blocks were cut from Marl Lake and Nottawasaga Bay in the winter to sell to locals and tourists to keep their food cold as refrigerators were not common then. He built a general store located at the northwest end of the Main Street Bridge. He then added a second floor and began renting rooms to tourists and year-round visitors. The top floor of the store eventually became a classroom for students. The Eberhardt family also ferried people up and down the river and across the bay from Wasaga to Collingwood. In later years they operated a taxi business and a miniature golf. The Truck shown in the 1950’s was owned and operated by Ken, Charlie and Russell Eberhardt. Later Russell Eberhardt’s son Bob was involved with the cutting of ice and home delivery.Acquisition
Accession
2020.80Source or Donor
Danny SpearsAcquisition Method
Gift
