LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station

Located on Hatteras Island on the North Carolina Outer Banks, the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station is the most complete site of remaining life-saving stations in North Carolina.

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Learn more

  • Rescue at sea In August 1918, the Lifesaving Service made a daring rescue of the crew of the British tanker Mirlo off the shores of Bodie Island, North Carolina.
  • Graveyard of the Atlantic The waters off North Carolina's coast have been called the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" because of the great number of ships that have wrecked there -- thousands since the sixteenth century. Geography, climate, and human activity have all played roles in making this region unusually treacherous to shipping.

Related pages

  • Bodie Island Lighthouse: Although the lighthouse is closed to the public, the old keeper's house of Bodie Island Light houses a National Park Service visitors center.
  • War on the Outer Banks: Article describes action along the coast of North Carolina during the Burnside Expedition, 1862.
  • Currituck Beach Lighthouse: Climb to the top of the last remaining brick lighthouse on the Outer Banks and learn the history of this historic structure.

Related topics

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In 1873 Congress established the United States Life Saving Service to patrol the beaches looking for ships in distress along the treacherous North Carolina coast. Twelve Life Saving Stations were established - at seven mile intervals in an area known as Chicamacomico. The stations were patrolled by a crew of 5-10 men on foot or horseback. The most famous of these stations, the Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station was built in 1874.

Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station is located on N.C. Highway 12 in the village of Rodanthe, on Hatteras Island at the 39.5 mile post. For more information, please call 252-987-1552 or send email to chicamacomico@earthlink.net

Also see the National Park Service page, Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station: Home to Unsung Heroes. It provides readings, images, and activities to use in the classroom.

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