PALAGIS ICE CREAM                                       

DELIVERING THOUSANDS OF SMILES A DAY SINCE 1896

Palagis Ice Cream Company has been street vending in the Blackstone Valley area for over 100 years.

In 1896, Peter Palagi, an immigrant from Italy, started selling ice cream Popsicles from a standstill cart. After a couple of summers, Peter felt the need to change the location of his business, thus, he put the cart on a wagon and the wagon was pulled by a horse. 

With the horse and wagon, Peter had the ability to constantly change locations during the day.

Waiting for the ice cream wagon to come by your house became a way of life and part of growing up in Pawtucket and the Blackstone Valley.

While running and trying to build the business, Peter was also raising a family. All his sons started working in the business as soon as they were old enough to do so. Peter Jr. tells the story of when he was nine years old and his father sent him out to sell ice cream on the wagon. His father told him to get on the wagon and trust the horse for he will show him the route. Peter Jr. eventually took over the business. This horse and wagons ran for approximately 30 years. 

By 1930, with the automobile becoming more popular, Palagis Ice Cream Co. made a move to upgrade its equipment and went from horse and wagon to Model-A Fords.

Summer after summer, this Model-A Fords ice cream wagons, became a fixture in many aspects of American life growing up in the Blackstone Valley. They were there when the children were released from school, they were there at the workplace when workers would have their lunch breaks, they were there at the little league games, at the fourth of July parade, at the summer festivals, and when you were at home just winding down at the end of your day.

These model-A fords ran for approximately 50 years.

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Last modified: 02/14/08