The Chicamacomico Life Saving Station

          The Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station, is located on Highway 12 in the village of Rodanthe. The original station was built in 1874. Later converted into a boathouse when the new station was constructed in 1911. Exhibits and beach apparatus drills are featured during the summer months.

Chicamacomico Station Historic Site


The Mirlo Rescue

"The Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station"


          "The Chicamacomico Lifesaving station was established in 1874, one of the first seven stations on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The buildings on site survive as one of the most complete U.S. Lifesaving Service/Coast Guard Station complexes on the Atlantic Coast.

A Brief History ...

          The Board-And-Batten Station was converted to a boathouse when the new shingle style station and its outbuildings were erected in 1911. They remind us today of the daring rescues made off the treacherous shoals and surf of Hatteras Island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

          One such rescue was of the "Strathairly" in 1891. Surfmen from Chicamacomico pulled seven members from heavy seas overcoming dense fog, high winds, and tumultuous surf. In 1898 the surfmen rescued members of the schooner "Fesseden." A year later, with the Lyle gun and the breeches buoy mechanisms, they saved the entire crew of the "Mini Bergen."

          In 1918, Captain John Allen Midgett led his men in Chicamacomico's most celebrated event: The "Mirlo" rescue. The surfmen, while endangering their own lives in the fire and turbulent seas, rescued 42 of the British tanker's crew. The British government awarded Gold Lifesaving medals to Captain Midgett and the surfmen. The U.S. Government presented "Grand Crosses of the American Cross of Honor." Only eleven of these have ever been awarded and six belong to the surfmen of Chicamacomico.

          It has been more than forty years since the Coast Guard left its watch on the Atlantic waters from this outpost, but the historic deeds of the many brave surfmen, who continuously endangered their own lives to rescue foundering seagoers, live on in the minds and hearts of the survivors and the relatives of both rescuers and the rescued. Many of the recent generations of Outer Banks natives are descended from former surfmen, and many of them are from the Midgett family who brought international acclaim to the Chicamacomico activities under the leadership of Keeper John Allen. Their story must be preserved."



Credits:

Chicamacomico Historical Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 5
Rodanthe
North Carolina 27968


The Chicamacomico Life Saving Station Gallery



Top Map of the Outer Banks by Ann Sader


Site Map!

Splash Introduction
Introduction
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Lodging
Currituck Light Station
Bodie Island Light Station
Cape Hatteras Light Station
Ocracoke Light Station
Cape Lookout Light Station
Wild Horses of Corolla
Wild Horse Adoption
North Carolina's Aquarium
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Cape Hatteras National Seashore
The Ferry to Ocracoke
The Banks Horses
The Whalehead Club
The Wright Brothers National Memorial
The Elizabeth II
The Elizabeth II Museum
The Elizabethan Gardens
The Lost Colony
Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station
Blackbeard
Currituck Light Station Gallery
Bodie Island Light Station Gallery
Cape Hatteras Light Station Gallery
Ocracoke Light Station Gallery
Cape Lookout Light Station Gallery
Wild Horses of Corolla Gallery
North Carolina's Aquariuam Gallery
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Gallery
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Gallery
The Ferry to Ocracoke Gallery
The Banks Horses' Gallery
The Whalehead Club Gallery
The Wright Brothers National Memorial Gallery
The Elizabeth II Gallery
The Elizabeth II Museum Gallery
The Elizabethan Gardens Gallery
The Lost Colony Gallery
Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Gallery
Natural Beauty Gallery
I Went to the Ocean
Mystery Over Mystery
Sea Gulls
In-Between
I Know a Place
Where Blue Meets Green
I Am Standing Here Now
Hatteras
Pretty Kitty
Sing Me No Sad Song
Weep Not
Heaven Sent
References
Webrings
Interaction
FAQ
Organizations
Updates
Awards Won
Guest Book
Email
About Me
Voting


Copyright © 2001-2008 Janice I Magro
All Rights Reserved.