Battling the Sea: The Story of the Indian River Life-Saving Station

Most of us who live in or near coastal Delaware have undoubtedly driven by it hundreds of times, that brightly colored structure on Route 1 near the Indian River Inlet bridge that you just can’t help but notice during your trip up or down the coast.

But have you ever stopped to check it out? Do you know what it is and what its significance is to the history and development of Sussex County?

I’m talking of course of the Indian River Life-Saving Station, that historic structure on northbound Route 1 hugging the Atlantic coastline. If it’s walls could talk, oh the stories it could tell of those early days at the Delaware beaches.

The building harkens back to days when shipwrecks used to occur off the Delaware coastline fairly regularly, when men being pulled from the often-frigid waters of the First State was anything but a rare occurrence.

The building is also a testament to what can be accomplished by a committed group of volunteers when the cause is just and attainable, when the goal of preserving local history is met with a united front and a will that won't be denied.

This is the latest in the Oldfather Group’s historical look at coastal Delaware, this time focusing on the Indian River Life-Saving Station and its importance to the historic preservation of our area. Please read on:

This historic station hugging the Delaware coastline represents a time when shipwrecks were very commonplace in the United States, particularly in the Atlantic Ocean. The men of the United States Life-Saving Service risked their lives on a regular basis and stayed at facilities like the one near the Indian River Inlet for often months at a time.

Constructed about 10 miles apart, most of these old boathouses are long gone today. But the one shining example of this time in American maritime history that still stands in eastern Sussex County is near the inlet, a treasured artifact brought back to life in the late 1990s.

The former Indian River Life-Saving Station was built in 1876 and is the oldest lifesaving station still in its original location on the east coast of the United States.

One of the first stations designed by the federal government, it remained open until the famed nor’easter of 1962 filled it with several feet of sand and the decision was made to close its doors forever.

The Delaware Seashore Preservation Foundation took over the task of restoring the station many years later with the goal of restoring it to its 1905 appearance. They accomplished that goal and reopened the historic building as a museum in 1998.

During its nearly nine decades of service to Sussex County, the station was run by a keeper and six surfmen from September through May during its time as part of the Life-Saving Service. The station was not normally manned during the traditional summer months as, statistically, not many ships ran into trouble during that time of the year.

Even after the United States Life-Saving Service merged with the Revenue Cutter Service and formed the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, the station was still used as a barracks until Mother Nature intervened in 1962.

Read the rest of the story HERE.