The steamboat Mary Disston was built in 1884 and known locally as "Dirty Mary" because of the thick black smoke always belching from its boilers.
In 1892 it caught fire while docked to a pier in Gulfport and had to be cut loose to keep it from igniting the pier. It burned to its waterline and the remains sank to the bottom of the the bay, where they still remain.
This etched-glass plate depicting the ship, along with an informational plaque, can be found on Williams Pier.
The etched glass plate was vandalized and stolen. Only the plaque remains at this time.
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