Ocean City Life Saving Station Brought Back to Life
By Steffen Klenk
Shipwrecks were a common along our coastline during the 1800s. Frequent storms, heavy fog and poor visibility often contributed to the number of accidents along the coast. At one point, over 150 cargo and passenger ships would sail our ocean front in a single day.
New Jersey Congressman William Newell sponsored a bill in 1848 that secured passed a law in 1848 that secured funding for new lifeboats and life-saving stations. This led to the creation of three new stations in Ocean City, the first of which was built in 1853 on the north end of the island near Great Egg Harbor Inlet. Two more stations were built along Ocean City’s south end at 58th Street near Corson’s Inlet and the corner of 36th Street and Wesley Ave.
After a rise in the number of shipwrecks in the early 1870s, the United States Life-Saving Service was founded in 1878 with the main goal of saving the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers. In 1885, Life-Saving Station 30 was constructed at the corner of 4th Street and Atlantic Avenue. The building was designed by James Lake Parkinson and is the only station of its design in the state.
Throughout its history, the Life-Saving Service was essential to all civilian mariners and ships that passed open waters just off of our coastline. The station was on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to shipwrecks and rescuing efforts. Crews of seven men manned at the station at any given time; one station keeper and six surfmen. The surfmen took turns patrolling the beach, watching the open waters for any shipwrecks. If they saw a shipwreck, the surfmen would light a red flare to signal the life-saving station of an impending rescue.
In 1915, the Life-Saving Service was dissolved and the building fell under ownership of the newly-formed United States Coast Guard. By 1936, the station was closed and all operations were moved to the Great Egg Coast Guard Station in Longport. During World War II, the building was used to store equipment and personnel who patrolled the beach watching for submarines and spies. In October 1945, the building was sold for use as a private residence.
There was a long-fought legal battle between the owners of the building and historians’ in 1999 when owners requested a permit to demolish part of the original building. The property was then sold to a design firm which intended to build duplexes. The project was denied.
In 2006, the property was donated to the city of Ocean City. After years of legal issues, the city took over the building in March 2010, and the Life-Saving Station and was registered as an Historic Landmark in 2013. The building is now preserved as a museum showcasing its history with the Life Saving Service. To date, there is an ongoing project to restore the building and collect historic artifacts.
The unofficial motto of the Life-Saving Service was “You have to go out, but you don’t have to come back.” The U.S. Life Saving Service Heritage Association is a great resource that provides information about each of the remaining stations, its history, photo galleries and educational information.
The Life Saving Station is located at 801 4th St. in Ocean City and is open to all visitors. See www.facebook.com/U.S.LifeSavingStation30 for additional information and hours of operation.
Steffen Klenk is a multimedia journalist. He resides in Ocean City and enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life.
