Long before modern technology and satellite radar guided mariners safely past the treacherous shoals of the Outer Banks, the surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service stood guard along the coast. Armed with wooden boats, heavy ropes, and unmatched courage, these men saved hundreds of lives right off our shores.
Today, that heroism lives on at the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station in Rodanthe.
Located at 23645 NC Highway 12, Chicamacomico holds a unique place in American history. Commissioned on December 4, 1874, it was the first U.S. Life-Saving Station in North Carolina. Today, it remains the only Life-Saving Service site with all of its original buildings intact on their original grounds.
One of the most thrilling ways to experience Chicamacomico is by catching their weekly Beach Apparatus Drill reenactment, which is happening every Thursday now through Labor Day.
Starting at 1:30 p.m., the station’s drill team demonstrates the exact rescue method surfmen used to save shipwreck victims. The team fires a line over a mock shipwreck and uses a breeches buoy, a life ring fitted with canvas pants, to pull survivors safely ashore. Click here to watch.
Nationally recognized for its authenticity, Chicamacomico’s drill team has performed as far north as Maine. If you bring children, arrive at the station a little early: young visitors often get the chance to be picked to ride in the breeches buoy during the demonstration!
Inside the station museum, visitors can explore historic artifacts and learn about the harrowing rescues that defined the U.S. Life-Saving Service and the early U.S. Coast Guard.
Guests can hear the dramatic story of the British tanker Mirlo, torpedoed off the coast during World War I, which prompted a daring rescue through burning oil and ocean swells on August 16, 1918. Attendees can also learn how Keeper Rasmus Midgett single-handedly saved 10 crew members from the wrecked barkentine Priscilla during a hurricane in the early morning hours of August 18, 1899.
Additionally, the museum highlights the history of the nearby Pea Island Life-Saving Station and its keeper, Richard Etheridge. Born into slavery, Etheridge served with distinction in the Civil War before leading the service’s only all-black crew, ultimately earning praise from his superintendent as “possibly the finest lifesaver in the entire service.”
Whether you stop by for a Thursday drill or wander the historical grounds, Chicamacomico lets you step directly into the footsteps of North Carolina’s coastal heroes.
To learn more, you can visit the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site and museum Monday through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and visit their website at chicamacomico.org.
What to expect during the Beach Apparatus Drill? The Outer Banks Life and 99.1 The Sound’s very own Lisa Brickhouse has provided our readers with an exclusive first-hand sneak peak offered in our exclusive photo gallery below.
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