1876
The 1st house of refuge on Florida's east coast was constructed on this site which later became part of the U.S. Lifesaving Service. Houses of Refuge were built about 20 miles apart and provided a safe haven for those shipwrecked along the desolate coast. They offered food and shelter to passengers and crew. Houses of Refuge were built exactly alike and included a main house, a cistern, and boat house. John Houston was the first keeper. Keepers had to be physically sound and able to read and write. In 1915, the Life Saving service became the U.S. Coast Guard. The house was destroyed by fire in January 1917 and replaced by a building that was removed in 1936. The Cost Guard closed the station in 1929. During World War II, the Coast Guard reopened the station and built a 40-foot observation tower to watch for submarines. This 8 acre site was transferred to the City of Vero Beach by the Federal Government in 1950 and the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycee's) began development of the park in 1956.| HM Number | HM24B3 |
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| Tags | |
| Year Placed | 2013 |
| Placed By | Florida Society Colonial Dames XVII Century Ann Waggaman, President 2011-13 |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018 at 10:05am PST -08:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 17R E 563195 N 3060379 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 27.66610000, -80.35923333 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 27° 39.966', W 80° 21.554' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 27° 39' 57.96" N, 80° 21' 33.24" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 772 |
| Which side of the road? | Marker is on the right when traveling West |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 4618 Florida A1A, Vero Beach FL 32963, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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