[Keith Norrington]

Being the "curious curator" that I am, Keith Baylor's question regarding the location of the rebuilding of the ISLAND MAID after the 1929 fire got me digging in files. Although I knew the work was done at Howard's, it is not, as Keith mentioned, documented in Way's Directory. I checked the catalog list of Capt. Jim Howard's glass plate negatives and found this notation: "Received in yard 5/6/29. Left yard 6/12/29. This was the quickest rebuilding job ever turned out in the yard. Our cabin gang headed by Al Mahaffey started to work at 6:00 AM and quit at 6:00 PM. Contract called for 40 days and took 36 days. Price was a little under $40,000." There are 10 listings for photos taken at the time of the rebuilding, including am interior view of her cabin/dancefloor.

The first image herewith, taken 80 years ago, shows the ISLAND MAID departing the Howard yard on June 12, 1929 with the towboat ED J. HOWARD in the foreground. The other two photos are dandy onboard scenes of the roof and pilothouse, one of which shows her calliope. As previously noted, the ISLAND MAID began life in 1909 at Howard's as the G.W. HILL, built for Granderson Winfrey Hill of Alexandria, MO. She originally operated in the St. Louis-Calhoun County trade as a packet. Converted to an excursion boat in 1912, she was owned by Capt. D.W. Wisherd and Sam Gregory. During this time she tramped to New Orleans and Pittsburgh until 1923 when she was sold to the Coney Island Company to become the ISLAND MAID. She didn't last long after the 1929 rebuilding, burning again while on the Madison Marine Ways in December, 1932 along with the towboat FRED HALL.