More than 2,400 ships have sunk in the waters along the Delaware coast, many of them right near our beaches. Shipwrecks were common enough that the United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS) was formed in 1848 to help rescue people and cargo. (The USLSS later became part of the US Coast Guard.) USLSS surfmen patrolled the beaches, watching for ships in distress, prepared to risk their own lives to rescue others. Their motto was “You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back.”
The Indian River Lifesaving Station was built in 1876 and housed a crew of surfmen who knew the local waters. They had daily drills and made rescues, often in frigid temperatures, during the stormy season of September through April. Today, the building serves as a museum to show what life was like for these brave men.
When you visit, you’ll see the station as it looked in 1905. Imagine being in the surfboat in icy, stormy seas. Check out the bunk room (no heat!) and the mess room where they ate. When there was free time, the men could entertain themselves with the piano, books from the tiny library, and games (did you spot the cribbage board?). A case in the Keeper’s Office displays the checks and clocks used to document the surfmen’s patrols and handles for the flares they used to warn ships that were too close to shore.
You can tour the station for a small fee ($4 for adults, discounts for children and seniors), which includes a six-minute video. Summer hours are Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (The last museum admission is thirty minutes prior to closing.)
Nancy Sakaduski is a local award-winning writer and editor who finds inspiration in the natural world.
