Harbour Lights Collectors’ Corner

05/14/05 11:47 AM

1-800-758-1444

Harbour Lights Collectors’ Corner

In 1871, Congress created the Life Saving Service designed to aid and rescue survivors of ships that wrecked or ran aground in rugged coastal waters. While lighthouses were intended to warn mariners of approaching danger, the Life Saving Station was charged with assisting ships that did not make it to safety.

The Indian River Lifesaving Station located on the treacherous Delaware coastline was one of the first four sites along the Atlantic. Before these stations were established, rescue efforts were left to farmers and coastal citizens. When Indian River came into service in 1876, it was manned by a keeper and six surfmen. Watchers in the cupola kept vigil by day; patrols along the beach at night were alert for ships in distress.

It is estimated that US Lifesaving Service surfmen saved some 177,000 lives over a 44-year period from 1871 through 1915, when the USLSS and the Revenue Cutter Service merged to form the US Coast Guard.

Despite storms and ravages of the sea, Indian River Lifesaving Station held firm. Harbour Lights pays homage to this legacy with an authentic replica of the one-and-a-half story board-and-batten frame structure.

The Coast Guard continued to utilize the station until 1962, when it was abandoned. New technology made the walking surfmen obsolete, but their heroics are chronicled in the museum that now occupies the original Indian River Lifesaving Station. Thanks to a group of concerned citizens, the National Historic Site was rescued from oblivion. The Delaware Seashore Preservation Foundation has completely restored the station and opened it to the public as an educational museum in 1998.

The Indian River Lifesaving Station stands as a vivid reminder of a long-ago era when sacrifice and bravery helped forge the maritime and cultural heritage of America, and owning this authentic reproduction will be a reaffirmation of your dedication to preserving this heritage. Call Lighthouse Depot customer service to order your authentic reproduction of the Indian River LSS and add it to your collection today.

This story appeared in the March 2004 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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