Shipwrecked Sailors Used to Go Here | Documentary Short
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 พ.ย. 2024
- The House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island in Florida is the last of its kind. Originally built to aid shipwrecked sailors in the late 1800s, this building has an interesting history.
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In the late 1800s Florida's east coast was mostly wilderness. Marooned sailors from shipwrecks caused by reefs and hurricanes would wander barren beaches looking for food and water. Often times they would starve to death.
This grim part of Florida's maritime history led to the creation of the houses of refuge by the U.S. Life Saving Service. The keepers of these houses would walk the beaches after a storm looking for survivors of shipwrecks.
in 1876 five houses of Refuge were built, followed by 5 more between 1885-86. This brought the total number to 10. The houses were manned by a "keeper" who was a member of the U.S. Life Saving Service, until 1915 when the United States Coast Guard was created, and took over operations at the houses.
The House of Refuge on Hutchinson island, near the city of Stuart, Florida became U.S. Coast Guard Station #207. The "keeper" was now joined by additional staff, and his duties slightly changed.
During World War II the house of Refuge was used as a lookout station for German U-boats, and was ultimately decommissioned in 1945.
Advances in maritime technology made shipwrecks a less common occurrence. The development and rise in population along Florida's coast, as well as the Coast Guard, meant that any sailors marooned by shipwreck were much more likely to encounter assistance.
This short documentary presents a brief history of the last House of Refuge. This fascinating aspect of Florida's history needs to be explored more.
Wow, thank you so much! I've been all up & down the entire East Coast but I had no knowledge of this. On 2 occasions with 2 different people we've put the top down on a convertible and slowly cruised A1A from one end of Florida to the other with no commitments or schedule; stopping at any place that caught our interest.
Also my dad was a reserve _"Coasty"_ for many, many, many years. He "did" the first 25 (Space) Shuttle launches, as the Coast Guard has to establish a security perimeter in the Atlantic Ocean East of the Cape that has to be kept free of all private vessels prior to the launch. They were always short of hands, and for my dad it was a thrill more than a paycheck.
It’s a beautiful spot. You should make a stop next time you’re in that area
You, my friend, are a legit narrator. You are as good as anyone you would find on Discovery, National Geographic, or the Smithsonian Channel. Well done.
Great videos really enjoying your channel!
How do you do these videos? Do you have a crew? This is just absolutely great. I live in Florida and never knew about this. I should go visit the island.
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I don't have a crew, I make the videos completely by myself. If you visit the island, there is a beautiful public beach just a few minutes South of the House of Refuge worth checking out also.
Oh do go on
well the cat is out of the bag on that property now😢 homeless with income times 10
The property is owned by the local county, and is now a museum... I'm not sure I understand your comment