The foundation for the United States Lifesaving Service was laid as far back as 1785,
when the Massachusetts Humane Society was founded, with the goal of saving human lives
in peril from the sea. The society constructed small huts as "houses of refuge" to
provide shelter for shipwrecked mariners along Massachusetts shore. In 1807, the Humane
Society also launched the first lifeboat and established the first lifeboat station
at Cohasset, Massachusetts. Soon, additional lifeboat stations began popping up along
the Massachussetts coast. In 1848, the government allocated $10,000 for the purchase
of surfboats and other lifesaving equipment, to be used along the New Jersey coast.
Throughout the 1850s, the government continued to provided funds and more stations
were set up along the New Jersey and New England coast lines.
These early stations all depended on volunteer crews, often poorly trained and undependable.
Many of the stations fell into disrepair. Through the years, efforts were made to
improve discipline and operations. Though some progress was made, it was obvious that
direct government involvement was needed. It came in 1871, when Sumner I. Kimball
was appointed Chief of the Treasury Department's Revenue Marine Division. Kimball
was able to convince Congress to allot $200,000 to operate stations and employ full
time crews. Kimball instituted a six man crew, built new stations, and drew up formal
regulations with standards of performance.
North Carolina's first seven stations were built in 1874 at Jones Hill (later re-named
Whaleshead, then Currituck Beach), Caffey's Inlet, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Bodie's
Island, Chicamacomico, and Little Kinnakeet. These stations were only manned during
the active season, December-March. The Lifesaving Service was not without its problems
in these early years. The stations were spread too far apart and though many of the
early surfmen went on to have distinguished careers, the stations also had their fair
share of men not suited to the rigors of lifesaving. It would take several years to
weed them all out.
It took two major maritime disasters off the coast of the Outer Banks before the Lifesaving
Service would receive an overhaul. The first was the disaster of the
Huron, which wrecked on November 24, 1877, a mere three miles from the Nags Head Lifesaving
Station. Since the station's season hadn't started, it was closed and locked up. A
total of 103 lives were lost in this disaster. The second was the wreck of the
Metropolis on January 31, 1878. Though surfmen from the lifesaving stations responded, the distance
between the stations, as well as errors made by the surfmen, resulted in the loss
of 85 lives. As a result of these disasters, an act was passed by Congress on June
18, 1878, authorizing an additional 30 stations to be built around the country. Eleven
of these stations were designated for the North Carolina. The active season was extended
to September 1-May 1. It was later extended again to August 1-May 31. In hopes of
attracting more qualified people, the keeper's salary was increased and they were
given the power of inspectors of customs. Despite these early growing pains, the Lifesaving
Service became an honored way of life on the Outer Banks, and it is an important part
of the local heritage.
By the time the U. S. Lifesaving Service merged with the U. S. Revenue Cutter Service
to form the U. S. Coast Guard in January 1915, North Carolina was home to a total
of 29 stations. Among these stations was the Pea Island Lifesaving Station, which
housed the nation's only all black crew.
