From collection J. E. Perkins Collection
ISLAND BELLE
Image of the steamboat ISLAND BELLE, probably in Maine waters but exact location not presently known. Visible in image: A view of ISLAND BELLE probably showing arrangement for winter service (the distant shore appears to show signs of snow). The previously open foredeck has been enclosed to protect cargo from the elements. The white paint on the hull is weathered. Compared to LB2009.13.459, only one anchor appears to be shipped. Crew members wait at bow and stern with mooring lines, and wooden fenders have been deployed alongside. No passengers can be seen. The absence of an "Eastern Steamship Co." legend on the bow under the name may indicate that this photograph was taken before the 1901 incorporation of the E.S.S.Co., when the vessel would have been operated by the Eastern Steamboat Company. ISLAND BELLE was built in Bath, Maine in 1892 and purchased by the Eastern Steamboat Company after 1894. She sailed the Popham route starting in 1899, but by 1901 was assigned to the Boothbay Division of the Eastern Steamship Company. She was still on the E.S.S.Co. books in 1911-1912, but by the early 1920s may have been sold south to Rhode Island and run as a ferry between Providence, Newport, and Block Island. Cataloger's note: Caption written on negative incorrectly identifies the steamboat as ISLANDER.
