Houses of Refuge in Florida - Locations

Locations

The houses of refuge in Florida were:

• Smith's Creek, 20 miles south of Matanzas Inlet, 29°26′10″N 81°06′25″W / 29.43611°N 81.10694°W / 29.43611; -81.10694 1886 - 1915, Coast Guard station 1915 - 1918, 1924 - ?
• Mosquito Lagoon, east of the Mosquito Lagoon, 28°51′30″N 80°46′20″W / 28.85833°N 80.77222°W / 28.85833; -80.77222 1886 - 1915, Coast Guard Station 203 1915 - ?
• Chester Shoal, 11 miles north of Cape Canaveral, 28°36′40″N 80°35′50″W / 28.61111°N 80.59722°W / 28.61111; -80.59722 1886 - 1915, Coast Guard Station 204 1915 - ?
• Cape Malabar, 30 miles south of Cape Canaveral, 28°03′10″N 80°32′45″W / 28.05278°N 80.54583°W / 28.05278; -80.54583 1886 - 1891
• Indian River or Bethel Creek, sixteen miles north of the Indian River Inlet (now known as the Fort Pierce Inlet), 27°40′00″N 80°21′20″W / 27.6666667°N 80.35556°W / 27.6666667; -80.35556 1876 - 1885
• Indian River Inlet, on the south side of the Indian River Inlet (inlet closed in 1890's, the station was approximately 2.2 miles north of today's Fort Pierce Inlet at Peppers Park, St. Lucie County), 27°29′45″N 80°17′50″W / 27.49583°N 80.29722°W / 27.49583; -80.29722 1885 - 1915, Coast Guard Station 206 1915 - ?
• Gilbert's Bar or Saint Lucie Rocks, two miles north of what is now the St. Lucie Inlet, near Stuart, Florida, 27°12′00″N 80°09′50″W / 27.2°N 80.16389°W / 27.2; -80.16389 1896 -1915, Coast Guard Station 207 1915 - 1940, United States Navy beach patrol station 1940 - 1945
• Jupiter Inlet, near the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. This was a life-saving station, rather than a house of refuge. A keeper was present year-round, with crew of six "surfmen" present during the winter.26°55′40″N 80°04′00″W / 26.92778°N 80.0666667°W / 26.92778; -80.0666667 1886 - 1896
• Orange Grove,26°27′30″N 80°03′20″W / 26.45833°N 80.05556°W / 26.45833; -80.05556 in what is now Delray Beach, Florida 1876 -1896
• New River or Fort Lauderdale, in what is now Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 26°08′00″N 80°06′00″W / 26.1333333°N 80.1°W / 26.1333333; -80.1 1876 - 1915, site of Coast Guard Station 6, 1915 - present, building destroyed by hurricane in 1930
• Biscayne, at what is now 72nd Street on Miami Beach, Florida, 25°54′10″N 80°08′00″W / 25.90278°N 80.1333333°W / 25.90278; -80.1333333 1876 - 1915, Coast Guard Station 209 1915 - 1926. Damaged beyond repair by the 1926 Miami hurricane.
• Santa Rosa, on Santa Rosa Island close to Fort Pickens and the Pensacola Light. This was a life-saving station, rather than a house of refuge. 30°19′00″N 87°15′30″W / 30.3166667°N 87.25833°W / 30.3166667; -87.25833 1885 - 1915, Coast Guard Station 212 1915 - 1986. Ranger station in Gulf Islands National Seashore as of 2002. Building destroyed by hurricane 1906, rebuilt 1907.

The Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge is the only original house of refuge still standing in Florida, and is now a museum, operated by the Historical Society Of Martin County. It is open to visitors and has various re-enactments and history programs year round. The 1907 replacement building at the Santa Rosa Life-Saving Station is still standing.