Indian River Inlet Life-Saving Station

Sussex County · dedicated 2001 · 25039 Coastal Highway, Millsboro

The United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS), a precursor to the modern U.S. Coast Guard, built the Indian River Inlet Life-Saving Station in 1876 in response to an increase in shipwrecks along the coast. Local men called surfmen served at the station during stormy winter months. When not responding to shipwrecks, they drilled on rescue techniques by day and patrolled the beaches at night looking for ships in distress. Surfmen at Station Indian River Inlet saved the lives of more than 400 sailors between 1876-1915. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is operated as part of Delaware Seashore State Park.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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