RODANTHE, N.C. — Surf rescue operations look a lot different today than they did 150 years ago, but something that has stayed the same is the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. 150 years ago in 1874, its doors opened for the first time.
"This was the first station commissioned in the state of North Carolina. The station down at Little Kinnakeet, one of our sister stations, would have been actually, but there were construction issues, and the building actually had to be dismantled and put back together because it didn't meet specifications," said Larry Grubbs, president of the board of directors for the Chicamacomico Historical Association.
More stations sprang up after Chicamacomico and the crews that operated the stations in the Outer Banks were a part of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, which came before the U.S. Coast Guard.
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"The history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, which was actually a precursor to the Coast Guard, were stations along the east coast and the northern coast of the Great Lakes, the stations were spaced about seven miles apart. In 1871, a gentleman named Sumner Kimball was placed in charge of it, and at that point, he introduced a lot of standardization, standardization that is still in place today in the Coast Guard, that really started making it really rise to the top, as far as being a truly professional rescue organization," said Grubbs.
"One of their means of rescue here, the beach apparatus that I mentioned earlier, is where a small cannon is fired with a rescue line, is fired out to the ship in distress. And from 1874 until 1954 when most of these stations started being decommissioned, that means of rescue was used in the attempt to rescue 178,000 people, and they rescued 177,000," said Grubbs.
The original 1874 structure still stands in Rodanthe and the Chicamacomico Historical Association has been restoring it over the years. The entire property serves as a special piece of the community and the community is who has come together over the last few decades to make sure it gets the love and appreciation it deserves.
"The folks from around here were the ones that came together with some other quote, unquote implants, you know, that lived in the area at the time with a taste for history, that just helped form the Chicamacomico Historical Association and just sort of help keep these buildings alive and keep this property alive, and keep it special," said Grubbs.
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150 years is a historical feat for anyone and the the historical association wants to celebrate it with the public. A two day event is being hosted this weekend to do just that. Visitors will be able to hear about the long history from historians, see a re-enactment of the apparatus that was used for rescues a century ago, connect with first responders in the area presently and much more.
“Chicamacomico’s mission, is the preservation of the history, but also the preservation of these buildings. Chickamacomico is the most complete U.S. Life-Saving Service station site in the country," said Grubbs.
For more information, you can find the program for this weekend's festivities here.
