Lathrop Brothers Coal and Ice Company was located at “Tougas’ Pit,” a small body of water that may have been an old channel of the Ipswich River. It can be accessed off of Hayward Street at “Ice House Crossing.” Photos courtesy of Bill George and archives.
Susan Howard Boice wrote that it took three railroad cars full of lumber to build the ice house. The inclines on the outside of the building were used to haul ice up the levels. Ice was harvested on the Ipswich River between Upper River Road and Hayward Street. Lines were drawn on the ice and horses dragged “groovers” along the line, cutting the ice about 6 to 8 inches deep. was cut into rectangular blocks. The ice was then floated to the ice house, where it was cut into 22″ blocks using a sharp needle bar. Horses or motors moved the ice up inclined ramps, where metal bars along the inclines shaved the blocks to a uniform size. By 1940, the popularity of artificial refrigeration ended the need for harvesting ice.
Ted Pickul tells us that he played in the old ice house as a child, and remembers Art Leclair cutting ice there, storing it, and delivering it to people until summer when he usually ran out.
Historic Ipswich 
My Dad told me he used to go down the railroad yard area of Ipswich shellfish and watch Art Leclair and a few others unload new Chevrolets from boxcars There is a photo at town hall showing that area Shellfish was one large railroad yard My dad was manager of woolworths in the early 50s
Basically right behind River Ridge on Colonial Dr.