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Preservation at Work: Acorn Hall’s Icehouse

by Amy Curry, Executive Director
March 3, 2026

For over a decade, restoration of Acorn Hall has been consistent, addressing projects like the exterior restoration of Acorn Hall, the restoration and stabilization of the carriage house, and returning the landscape to a proper 19th-century cultural aesthetic. In 2025, MCHS tackled four exterior restoration projects around the property through funding from the New Jersey Historic Trust and Morris County Historic Preservation Trust Fund: stabilization of the icehouse foundation, restoration of the front yard fence, installation of period-appropriate landscape lighting to mark the driveway entrance and exit, and reconstruction of the original gardener’s shed addition to the carriage house. Even in winter, progress continues, and work is now over halfway towards completion. The icehouse foundation, which was the first to receive attention, has now been stabilized below, and rebuilt above, ground level. Complemented by the original Crane family ice sled, it allows us to better interpret mid-19th-century life in then-rural Morristown.

Time, prolonged exposure to the freeze-thaw cycle, and pressure from nearby trees, which were removed within the last decade, took a toll on the soft lime mortar of the icehouse’s surviving foundation.  

 

The first step on any project where significant ground is disturbed, an archaeological survey was completed by Hunter Research and funded by the F.M. Kirby Foundation in 2022 to determine the structure’s original purpose. Crane family documents indicated that both an icehouse and greenhouse had been built on the property.

 

The survey found that the brick foundation extended 5’ below grade, confirming that it was the family icehouse.  Built before 1870, the structure is mentioned in letters by Augustus Crane to his son where he proudly assured him that he would not need go without ice cream that summer.

 

After MCHS received funding and exterior restoration projects were combined, Lewis-Graham, Inc. began work in earnest this past spring, and the stumps of the trees that caused the north wall failure were removed.

 

Unsecured bricks were removed and initial investigations and testing determined that part of the wall below grade would need to be rebuilt.

 

While new bricks were necessary, as many of the original bricks as possible were cleaned off for reuse in the foundation, which was a slow and laborious process.

 

The cleaned bricks were then used to rebuild the foundation to its previous height with mortar matched to what was used originally.

 

More of the foundation below the ground was failed or failing than was anticipated. Once those portions were removed, the wall was rebuilt on stable foundations. For safety reasons, the interior was afterwards filled to grade.

 

As outbuildings were rarely documented or photographed, there are no records of what the structure above the foundation was like. Any build beyond stabilization would be speculative, and so the restored foundation will be left as is. However, the work done now ensures that it can continue to contribute to the story of the Cranes and their gentleman’s farm.

Did you enjoy this blog? MCHS is an independent nonprofit. Please consider supporting our mission at morriscountyhistory.org/donate or become a member at morriscountyhistory.org/get-involved/ to help us continue to preserve and promote Morris County history through programs, exhibits, and blogs like this.

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