For More Information Visit The IRLSS Site on Route 1 just north of Indian River Inlet.
The former Indian River Lifesaving Station building, standing on its current location on the ocean side of Route 1 between Dewey Beach and the Indian River Inlet in Delaware for more than 100 years, is the object of a restoration effort by a group of local volunteers.
The Delaware Seashore Preservation Foundation is seeking the public's financial support for the dilapidated building's restoration and the creation of a learning center. The hope is to restore the Venetian red-roofed structure to its original appearance when it was constructed in 1879.
The learning center will feature information on the lifesaving history of the Delaware coast, including the Revenue Cutter Service, the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the U.S. Coast Guard Service, sunken ships, famous rescues, and pirates.
The structure, one of many lifesaving stations designed by the Federal government in 1875, is the oldest lifesaving station still in its original location on the East Coast. Its lifesaving days ended when the Storm of 1962 filled it with more than two feet of sand. The U.S. Coast Guard then turned the building over to the Department of Transportation, which took it out of service.
The buildings most recently were used by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Division of Soil and Conservation for offices and storage of heavy equipment.
A group of local volunteers headed by Clinton Bunting spearheaded the formation of the Delaware Seashore Preservation Foundation in the fall of 1995 to guide the restoration project. Besides raising money, the non-profit group's first order of business is to refound the building onto pilings, research the station's history, and remove lead paint and asbestos. Work has begun and bidding is expected to be completed in June of 1998.
The DSPF opened the old station to the public on Oct. 13, 1996, with an open house fund-raiser to recruit new members to help with the restoration and fund-raising. More than 2,000 visitors toured both floors of the building and outbuildings, more than 100 people signed up as members of the Foundation or to volunteer, and more than $7,000 was raised.
Much work and much money are still needed to restore the building. The best estimates are that the project will require from $850,000 to $1.3 million. To date, about $801,133 has been raised. To become a DSPF member or donate funds to the project, write the DSPF at P.O. Box Z, Bethany Beach, DE 19930 or call 302-227-0478.
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