diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicBTree.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicBTree.class.st
index cb501303..0e38bb8e 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicBTree.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicBTree.class.st
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ SoilBasicBTree >> flush [
 	self store flush
 ]
 
+{ #category : #testing }
+SoilBasicBTree >> hasHeaderPage [
+	^ store hasHeaderPage 
+]
+
 { #category : #initialization }
 SoilBasicBTree >> initializeFilesystem [ 
 	self store initializeFilesystem
diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicSkipList.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicSkipList.class.st
index c9507ab9..57aae17a 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicSkipList.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilBasicSkipList.class.st
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ SoilBasicSkipList class >> isAbstract [
 	^ self == SoilBasicSkipList
 ]
 
+{ #category : #testing }
+SoilBasicSkipList >> hasHeaderPage [
+	^ store hasHeaderPage 
+]
+
 { #category : #accessing }
 SoilBasicSkipList >> maxLevel [
 
diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilPagedIndexStore.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilPagedIndexStore.class.st
index a2843b32..e6125670 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilPagedIndexStore.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilPagedIndexStore.class.st
@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@ SoilPagedIndexStore >> flushCachedPages [
 	pages removeAll
 ]
 
+{ #category : #testing }
+SoilPagedIndexStore >> hasHeaderPage [
+	^ pages includesKey: 1
+]
+
 { #category : #accessing }
 SoilPagedIndexStore >> headerPage [
 	^ self pageAt: 1
diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilReindexer.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilReindexer.class.st
index cf73c47c..660102ca 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilReindexer.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilReindexer.class.st
@@ -67,12 +67,14 @@ SoilReindexer >> prepareNewIndex [
 	| indexCopy |
 	indexCopy := index class new 
 		path: reIndexPath;
-		initializeFilesystem;
-		initializeHeaderPage;
-		maxLevel: index maxLevel;
-		keySize: index keySize;
-		valueSize: index valueSize.
-	newIndex := indexBlock value: indexCopy
+		initializeFilesystem.
+	newIndex := indexBlock value: indexCopy.
+	newIndex hasHeaderPage ifFalse: [  
+		newIndex 
+			initializeHeaderPage;
+			maxLevel: index maxLevel;
+			keySize: index keySize;
+			valueSize: index valueSize ]
 ]
 
 { #category : #running }
diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipList.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipList.class.st
index 92f973a7..70c4e482 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipList.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipList.class.st
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ SoilSkipList >> newHeaderPage [
 	^ SoilSkipListHeaderPage new
 		index: 1;
 		lastPageIndex: 1;
+		lastFreePageIndex: 0;
 		pageSize: self pageSize
 ]
 
diff --git a/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipListHeaderPage.class.st b/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipListHeaderPage.class.st
index c583e92a..18795f2c 100644
--- a/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipListHeaderPage.class.st
+++ b/src/Soil-Core/SoilSkipListHeaderPage.class.st
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ Class {
 	#superclass : #SoilSkipListPage,
 	#instVars : [
 		'maxLevel',
-		'lastPageIndex'
+		'lastPageIndex',
+		'lastFreePageIndex'
 	],
 	#category : #'Soil-Core-Index-SkipList'
 }
@@ -29,12 +30,19 @@ SoilSkipListHeaderPage class >> pageCode [
 { #category : #utilities }
 SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> headerSize [
 	^ super headerSize 
-		+ 10 "keySize, valueSize, maxLevel, lastPageIndex" 
+		+ 14 "keySize(2), valueSize(2), maxLevel(2), lastPageIndex(4), lastFreePageIndex(4)" 
 		+ 1 "level" 
 		+ (self level * self rightSize)
 		+ 2 "items size"
 ]
 
+{ #category : #initialization }
+SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> initialize [ 
+	super initialize.
+	lastPageIndex := 1.
+	lastFreePageIndex := 0
+]
+
 { #category : #accessing }
 SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> keySize: anInteger [
 	"as long as no items have been added the key size can be changed"
@@ -46,6 +54,18 @@ SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> keySize: anInteger [
 
 ]
 
+{ #category : #accessing }
+SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> lastFreePageIndex [
+
+	^ lastFreePageIndex
+]
+
+{ #category : #accessing }
+SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> lastFreePageIndex: anObject [
+
+	lastFreePageIndex := anObject
+]
+
 { #category : #accessing }
 SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> lastPageIndex [
 
@@ -93,7 +113,8 @@ SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> readHeaderFrom: aStream [
 	keySize := (aStream next: 2) asInteger.
 	valueSize := (aStream next: 2) asInteger.
 	maxLevel := (aStream next: 2) asInteger.
-	lastPageIndex :=(aStream next: 4) asInteger 
+	lastPageIndex :=(aStream next: 4) asInteger.
+	lastFreePageIndex :=(aStream next: 4) asInteger 
 ]
 
 { #category : #accessing }
@@ -108,7 +129,8 @@ SoilSkipListHeaderPage >> writeHeaderOn: aStream [
 		nextPutAll: (keySize asByteArrayOfSize: 2);
 		nextPutAll: (valueSize asByteArrayOfSize: 2);
 		nextPutAll: (maxLevel asByteArrayOfSize: 2);
-		nextPutAll: (lastPageIndex asByteArrayOfSize: 4).
+		nextPutAll: (lastPageIndex asByteArrayOfSize: 4);
+		nextPutAll: (lastFreePageIndex asByteArrayOfSize: 4).
 	self 
 		writeLevelsOn: aStream.
 	aStream nextPutAll: (items size asByteArrayOfSize: self itemsSizeSize).