diff --git a/master/buildbot/status/logfile.py b/master/buildbot/status/logfile.py
index 4c2264010e7..c67523174ae 100644
--- a/master/buildbot/status/logfile.py
+++ b/master/buildbot/status/logfile.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 import os
 
 from bz2 import BZ2File
+from cStringIO import StringIO
 from gzip import GzipFile
 
 from buildbot import interfaces
@@ -558,6 +559,7 @@ def finish(self):
         for w in watchers:
             w.callback(self)
         self.watchers = []
+        return defer.succeed(None)
 
     def compressLog(self):
         logCompressionMethod = self.master.config.logCompressionMethod
@@ -630,51 +632,27 @@ def __setstate__(self, d):
         self.finished = True
 
 
-class HTMLLogFile:
-    filename = None
+class HTMLLogFile(LogFile):
 
     def __init__(self, parent, name, logfilename, html):
-        self.step = parent
-        self.name = name
-        self.filename = logfilename
-        self.html = html
-
-    def getName(self):
-        return self.name  # set in BuildStepStatus.addLog
-
-    def old_getStep(self):
-        return self.step
-
-    def isFinished(self):
-        return True
-
-    def waitUntilFinished(self):
-        return defer.succeed(self)
+        LogFile.__init__(self, parent, name, logfilename)
+        self.addStderr(html)
+        self.finish()
 
     def old_hasContents(self):
         return True
 
-    def old_getText(self):
-        return self.html  # looks kinda like text
-
-    def old_getChunks(self):
-        return [(STDERR, self.html)]
-
-    def subscribe(self, receiver, catchup):
-        pass
-
-    def unsubscribe(self, receiver):
-        pass
-
-    def finish(self):
-        pass
+    def __setstate__(self, d):
+        self.__dict__ = d
+        self.watchers = []
+        self.finishedWatchers = []
+        self.finished = True
 
-    def __getstate__(self):
-        d = self.__dict__.copy()
-        del d['step']
-        if "master" in d:
-            del d['master']
-        return d
+        # buildbot <= 0.8.8 stored all html logs in the html property
+        if 'html' in self.__dict__:
+            buf = "%d:%d%s," % (len(self.html) + 1, STDERR, self.html)
+            self.openfile = StringIO(buf)
+            del self.__dict__['html']
 
 
 def _tryremove(filename, timeout, retries):
diff --git a/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_status_logfile.py b/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_status_logfile.py
index aad9101758a..d96879490c7 100644
--- a/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_status_logfile.py
+++ b/master/buildbot/test/unit/test_status_logfile.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import with_statement
 
+import cPickle
 import cStringIO
 import mock
 import os
@@ -311,3 +312,101 @@ def test_compressLog_bz2(self):
     def test_compressLog_none(self):
         self.config.logCompressionMethod = None
         return self.do_test_compressLog('', expect_comp=False)
+
+
+class TestHTMLLogFile(unittest.TestCase, dirs.DirsMixin):
+
+    # The following script was used to pickle an 0.8.8 logfile. It was then
+    # base64 encoded to be safely embedded in this test class.
+    #
+    # from buildbot.status import logfile
+    # import pickle
+    # lf = logfile.HTMLLogFile('error.html', '123-error_html', '<span>You lost the game</span>')
+    # with open('123-error_html', 'w') as f:
+    #     pickle.dump(lf, f)
+    buildbot088pickle = '''
+    KGlidWlsZGJvdC5zdGF0dXMubG9nZmlsZQpIVE1MTG9nRmlsZQpwMAooZHAyClMnaHRtbCcKcD
+    MKUyc8c3Bhbj5Zb3UgbG9zdCB0aGUgZ2FtZTwvc3Bhbj4nCnA0CnNTJ25hbWUnCnA1ClMnZXJy
+    b3IuaHRtbCcKcDYKc1MnZmlsZW5hbWUnCnA3ClMnMTIzLWVycm9yX2h0bWwnCnA4CnNiLg==
+    '''
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        step = self.build_step_status = mock.Mock(name='build_step_status')
+        self.basedir = step.build.builder.basedir = os.path.abspath('basedir')
+        self.setUpDirs(self.basedir)
+        self.logfile = logfile.HTMLLogFile(step, 'error.html', '123-error_html', '<span>You lost the game</span>')
+        self.master = self.logfile.master = mock.Mock()
+        self.config = self.logfile.master.config = config.MasterConfig()
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        if self.logfile.openfile:
+            try:
+                self.logfile.openfile.close()
+            except:
+                pass  # oh well, we tried
+        self.tearDownDirs()
+
+    def pickle_and_restore(self):
+        pkl = cPickle.dumps(self.logfile)
+        self.logfile = cPickle.loads(pkl)
+        step = self.build_step_status
+        self.logfile.step = step
+        self.logfile.master = self.master
+        step.build.builder.basedir = self.basedir
+
+    def test_unpickle(self):
+        self.pickle_and_restore()
+
+        d = self.logfile.finish()
+
+        def check(_):
+            fn = os.path.join('basedir', '123-error_html')
+            self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(fn))
+            fp = open(fn, 'r')
+            self.assertEqual(fp.read(), '31:1<span>You lost the game</span>,')
+            fp.close()
+
+        d.addCallback(check)
+        return d
+
+    def test_unpickle_buildbot088pickle(self):
+        import base64
+        s = base64.b64decode(self.buildbot088pickle)
+        self.logfile = cPickle.loads(s)
+        step = self.build_step_status
+        self.logfile.step = step
+        self.logfile.master = self.master
+        step.build.builder.basedir = self.basedir
+
+        self.assertEqual(self.logfile.getName(), 'error.html')
+        self.assertEqual(self.logfile.old_getText(), '<span>You lost the game</span>')
+
+    def test_hasContents(self):
+        self.assertTrue(self.logfile.old_hasContents())
+
+    def test_getName(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.logfile.getName(), 'error.html')
+
+    def test_getStep(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.logfile.old_getStep(), self.build_step_status)
+
+    def test_isFinished(self):
+        self.assertTrue(self.logfile.isFinished())
+
+    def test_waitUntilFinished(self):
+        d = self.logfile.waitUntilFinished()
+        return d
+
+    def test_getText(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.logfile.old_getText(), '<span>You lost the game</span>')
+
+    def test_getFile(self):
+        fp = self.logfile.getFile()
+        fp.seek(0, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(fp.read(), '31:1<span>You lost the game</span>,')
+
+        self.pickle_and_restore()
+
+        fp = self.logfile.getFile()
+        fp.seek(0, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(fp.read(), '31:1<span>You lost the game</span>,')