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Photo courtesy of the
Martin County Historical Society
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The House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar is the sole survivor of ten houses originally built in 1875 by the U.S. Life-Saving Service, a forerunner of the Coast Guard, to provide a safe haven for survivors of shipwrecks along the sparsely populated East Coast of Florida in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The House was operated by a Keeper (and often his wife) and was stocked with provisions to care for sailors who made it ashore following a shipwreck. After the turn of the century the House became a U.S. Coast Guard installation and played a vital role during the Second World War as a Navy lookout station. The Historical Society of Martin County operates the House of Refuge as a public museum. Copies of shipwreck reports can be viewed at the house along with a pictorial history of its various incarnations, artifacts from the navy history and early life saving equipment are also on display. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 PM until 4:00 PM, Sunday 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM.
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