Cool Stuff: Wilson’s Ice Cream Freezer Collection
Steve “Doc” Wilson
Ice Cream Collector
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. I’ve
always thought it was interesting
that although ice cream is loved
worldwide, the concept of mak
ing home-made ice cream seems
uniquely an American summer
time tradition.
How many of us remember
when we were children having to
sit on the top of the old wooden
ice cream freezer while Dad
steadily turned the crank?
Of course the rule was whoever
cranks the ice cream gets the first
taste of the delicious frozen treat!
These kinds of experiences led
me to a passion for homemade
ice cream and all things “ice
creamy.” Eventually I acquired a
collection of ice cream freezers,
which has been recognized by the
Guinness Book of Records as the
largest in the world. I also had
the exciting experience of being
featured in a Food Network spe
cial on ice cream.
One of the first attempts
for an electric-powered
freezer was this 1935
model Sunbeam, which
made a gear adapter which
would attach to the 1923
White Mountain freezer.
Then all you had to do was
drop in place your 1934
model 3B Mixmaster and
there you have it an
electric-powered ice cream
maker! The example in this
collection is the only one
known to exist today, and it
still works!
This small pint salesman sample White Mountain
freezer was connected to a tiny steam engine to make
the world’s smallest steam-driven ice cream freezer.
Some models more than
100 years old are still in
useable condition, such as
the 1871 Fre-zee-zee
model which is unusual in
that the crank and gear
mechanism is incorporated
into the handle.
My freezers have led me to lots
of experience making ice cream
and that has led to winning many
ice cream making contests over
the years.
Collecting ice cream freezers is
in essence collecting America it
self, and uniquely American
memories. The nice thing is, it’s
not an expensive hobby, but you
do need considerable space if
your collection gets very large!
Ice cream freezers make great
collectibles because they add a
nostalgic and rustic flavor to any
room decorated with them, but
they can also be very functional. I
believe that freezers should be
The 1871 Fre-Zee-Zee
Benham Instant Freeze
Sunbeam/White Mountain
1915 Fre-Zee-Zee (glass
canister) is a steam-pow
ered miniature.
used: it’s what they were made
for. But it’s also important to
preserve them because they oper
ate in such a corrosive environ
ment of salt and ice.
The best way to care for your
collection is to clean them thor
oughly, removing as much rust as
possible, and then applying a
good coat of paint or stain, trying
to approximate the original color
as closely as possible. You’ll
never get a perfect match, be
cause alter years of use no one
knows what the original shades
were.
The history of ice cream is the
history of America. Made using
the “still pot method” by George
Washington, first served in the
White House by Dolley Madison
(before her husband became pres
ident, she served as Thomas Jef
ferson’s social secretary). A slave,
Agustus Jackson, known for
making great ice cream in the
White House in the early days of
our new country later went on to
be the wealthiest African Ameri
can business man in Philadelphia
when he opened his own ice
cream parlors.
When ice became available in
the ordinary home, the first pat
ented homemade ice cream
freezer appeared in 1843, invent
ed by Nancy Johnson, a Philadel
phia housewife.
In World War I ice cream was
determined by Congress to be an
essential nutritious food and was
allowed to be made using ration
ed ingredients. Troops in W.W.11
were given ice cream to boost mo
rale. A quartermaster, along with
his boyhood friend, who traded a
jeep for an ice cream freezer later
opened his own chain of ice
cream stores Baskin Robbins.
Baskin Robbins commemorat
ed the move of the Brooklyn
Dodgers to California with a spe
cial flavor called Baseball Nut Ice
Cream which contained cashews
and raspberries!
Ice cream has been eaten by
astronauts and still made in the
home by more them 70 percent of
all Americans. And to do that,
you need an ice cream freezer.
For the collector, ice cream
freezers will vary in cost from
$l5-$2O to thousands of dollars
for some very rare models.
It’s not unusual to stumble
onto a one of a kind model that
was made by some small compa
ny which never patented their
own model. You’ll find various
models over 100 years old still in
useable condition, such as the
1871 Fre-zee-zee model which is
unusual in that the crank and
gear mechanism is incorporated
into the handle.
Rarely, you’ll find a freezer
made out of the U.S., such as the
Benham freezer with brass parts
produced in England by the same
craftsmen who crafted the orb
and cross atop St. Paul’s Cathe
dral in London. The photo shows
the only known example of this
1878 freezer still in existence.
Over the years there were some
innovative ideas in ice cream
freezers. A good example is the
1930 Instant Freeze, which is a
Steve "Doc” Wilson’s comprehensive collection of ice
cream freezers has been recognized by the Guinness
Book of Records as the largest in the world. “The history
of ice cream is the history of America,” he says. Check
out his Website for all kinds of ice cream trivia.
Wilson’s ice cream
freezer collection led him
to making ice cream and
winning numerous con
tests.
“horizontal” freezer. Here the ice
and salt mixture goes inside the
canister and the ice cream mix is
poured into the bottom of the
tray. As the drum rotates, the ice
cream freezes in a thin layer on
the outside of the canister and is
later scraped off.
It was a very inefficient way to
make ice cream, but the design
has been copied for years in chil
dren’s freezers.
The day finally came when the
old handcranked freezer was re
placed (almost) by electric mod
els. One of the first attempts was
made in 1935 by Sunbeam, which
made a gear adapter which
would attach to the 1923 White
Mountain freezer. Then all you
had to do was drop in place your
1934 model 3B Mixmaster and
there you have it an electric
powered ice cream maker! The
example in this collection is the
only one known to exist today,
and it still works!
The 1915 model Fre-Zee-Zee
was made entirely of wood, ex-
cept the canister which was made
of glass! And the surprising thing
is, quite a number of these can
still be found. And in one case the
small pint salesman sample
White Mountain freezer was con
nected to a tiny steam engine to
make the world’s smallest steam
driven ice cream freezer.
Perhaps the best part of col
lecting ice cream freezers is the
visitors who come to see the col
lection. It’s a “hands on” collec
tion, and all visitors are encour
aged to pick up the freezers, turn
the cranks, and let the memories
come flooding back.
The most fun of all is when the
visitor inevitably suddenly spots
a familiar freezer, the visitor’s
eyes light up, and they gush forth
a memory that begins, “Hey, we
used to have one just like this
one! I remember we used t 0..”
That makes it all worth while!
Happy collecting!
For entertaining education on
all sorts of ice cream-related top
ics, check out Steve “Doc” Wil
son’s Website www.users.n
wark.com
Over the years there
were some innovative ideas
in ice cream freezers such
as this 1930 Instant Freeze,
which is a “horizontal”
freezer.