Hidden History-The Verdonshot Frostkiller: Foley’s Forgotten Battle Against the Cold
Storage Choice
December 1st, 2025
A Storage Choice Hidden History Series — Foley, Alabama If you’ve lived around Baldwin County long enough, you know we worry more about hurricanes and humidity than anything resembling “cold weather.” But back in the early- and mid-1900s, Foley farmers feared something even more destructive than a storm. Frost. A single freeze could wipe out an entire season’s worth of citrus, potatoes, corn, and delicate crops. And Foley—rich farming land long before it became a shopping and tourism hub—went to wild lengths to protect its harvests. One of those lengths?
A metal contraption straight out of a 1950s sci-fi movie: The Verdonshot Frostkiller.
What on Earth Was the Verdonshot Frostkiller?
Picture this: a giant propane-powered torch on stilts, standing alone in a field at 3 a.m., blasting a column of superheated air into the freezing night. That’s the Frostkiller. Designed in the 1940s–50s, it was part of a wave of experimental frost-protection machines tested in rural agricultural towns across the South—including right here in Foley. Farmers tried everything to keep warm air over their crops:
- Smudge pots
- Field fires
- Heaters
- Fans
- Wind machines
- And yes… towering metal “Frostkillers” that looked like crop-scorching UFOs
The Verdonshot Frostkiller worked like this:
1. The burner chamber heated air to extreme temps
It gulped fuel and produced intense heat inside the cone-shaped chamber.
2. The heat was pushed upward
A tall metal tube funneled heat into the air.
3. A large circular “umbrella” spread warm air outward
This dome-like disc at the top distributed warm air over a radius of crops.
4. The goal was simple:
Keep frost off the leaves long enough to save the entire harvest. It didn’t always work—but when it did, a farmer could save thousands of dollars worth of produce in a single night.
Why Foley Needed Frostkillers
Before Tanger Outlets, OWA, and the sports tourism complex, Foley’s lifeblood was agriculture. Baldwin County supplied:
- Citrus
- Potatoes
- Corn
- Peanuts
- Cotton
- And vegetables shipped by train all over the Southeast
A bad freeze could devastate the economy. The winter of 1940, 1947, and 1951 brought major cold snaps that shocked the region—and local farmers scrambled for any technology that promised salvation. That’s when machines like the Frostkiller started popping up in fields across Foley, Elberta, Silverhill, and Magnolia Springs.
Did the Frostkiller Actually Work?
Well… sorta. Farmers reported mixed results:
- In mild frost conditions? It helped.
- In a deep freeze? The crops still took a beating.
- And the fuel bills? Painful.
But farmers are innovators. They’d try anything once. And the Frostkiller definitely made a statement—imagine driving past one lit up at night. It looked like the mothership had come to inspect the corn.
A Symbol of Foley’s Grit
Even though the Verdonshot Frostkiller didn’t survive into modern agriculture, it represents something Foley has always been good at: Doing whatever it takes to protect what matters. Whether it was:
- fighting frost
- rebuilding after hurricanes
- or reinventing the town as a tourism and sports destination
This community has never been afraid to adapt.
Storage Choice and Today’s Foley
We’re long past the days of frost towers in cornfields, but Foley hasn’t lost its hard-working identity. Families are moving in. Businesses are growing. And yes—people still need space for what matters. Storage Choice is proud to be part of that story, offering clean, secure units with 24/7 gate access to support Foley’s continued growth—just like those farmers once relied on their Frostkillers to protect their fields. Different tools.
Same spirit.
Same determination to keep Foley thriving.
Explore Storage Options Today
👉 Visit www.storagechoice.net to find a storage solution near you. And don’t miss the next installment of our Hidden History series.
Storage Choice Presents: Unlocking Space