It is possible that this bit of history isn’t hidden at all. Perhaps many Floridians know all about it. I did not. I had never heard of a House of Refuge. Take a trip back 150 years with me and once you’ve heard the stories, I dare you to say, “History is boring.”
On Hutchinson Island, a short 15-minute drive from Stuart, Florida, visitors will find the House of Refuge Museum. This is the oldest building in Martin County and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.
In the 1870’s, the Superintendent of the Florida’s Life Saving Service (a precursor to the Coast Guard) commissioned ten Houses of Refuge to be built along the Atlantic coast from what is now Daytona south to Miami. These houses were to be staffed by a full-time “keeper” who would watch for shipwrecks and assist those in need. Obviously, this made me ask: Were there really that many shipwrecks that a formal program was needed? The answer is yes.
In the 1870’s boats were the main method of transporting goods and people. The oceans were the highways of the day. The museum at Hutchinson Island is called Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge and it is the last surviving House of Refuge in Florida. It opened in 1876. The eastern coast of Florida was so rural and rugged in those days that it was said that people could survive the warm water but die on land trying to find civilization.
The keeper lived on the first floor full-time and kept watch off the coast (much like someone who mans a lighthouse). Their main responsibility was to walk up and down the coast in both directions after storms and look for shipwreck survivors. They also kept a daily log and wrote up reports about any shipwrecks or survivors they encountered. In addition, the houses being located so close to the ocean, made constant repairs necessary. The keeper was responsible for the upkeep of the house as well.
Each of the ten houses were built using the identical floor plan. The first floor was just a bedroom, a sitting room and a kitchen. This is where the keeper and his family lived. The second floor was one large dormitory-style room with beds where shipwreck survivors could recuperate. They would be given food and rest for as many days as they needed.
So, how many times did Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge save lives? Between 1876 and 1915, there were 5 shipwrecks in the area of Gilbert’s Bar. The keepers of this House of Refuge saved 45 people from certain death. That may seem like a small number in 39 years, but you can bet it meant the world to those 45 people!
The house was given a second life during World War II. Several freighters were torpedoed off the coast of Florida in 1942. After that, a tower was built at Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge so that military personnel could scan for German U-boats.
Eventually, all the houses were de-commissioned. Today, visitors can take a docent tour or a self-guided tour through the museum and see the restored house and a collection of life-saving service paraphernalia, photos and documents from the keepers’ extensive records.
There is also information on the first inhabitants of this region, The Ais. This Native American tribe populated the area through much of the 1700’s, but has since died out.
Tickets for the House of Refuge are $8.00 or visitors can purchase a combination ticket for $18.00, which will also give them access to the Elliott Museum one mile away. Since my visit to the House of Refuge Museum only took about an hour, I had time to see the Elliott Museum in the same day, so I opted for the combo ticket. Stay tuned for information on that museum in my next post!
Bonus Tip: If you have a history buff in your life, the museum has a gift shop with lots of fun items, including a terrific selection of books about Florida history by Florida authors.
What’s the best hidden history experience that you’ve had? Please share it in the comments.
Leave a Reply