"The steamer, Minnie Maria, was built by Augustus Taylor, who 'had Mr. Moody do the actual work on the steamer,' according to the diary of Capt. James F. Emerson. The steamer was launched on Lake Quannapowitt on June 10, 1871. In 1874, a 30' canal was started through Reading Meadow to take Reading residents aboard, but was later abandoned. The steamer was drawn out of the lake on November 26, 1874, and, on May 24, 1876, the steamer was drawn to Spy Pond in Arlington by ten horses. The Minnie Maria was destroyed by fire in February 1878. In the photograph, the Minnie Maria was opposite 'the Carpenter's house - to the left of the steamer was Mrs. Courtney's laundry,' according to an entry in the diary." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio. Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 1992 Photo courtesy of the Wakefield Historical Society.
