Rodanthe - Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station Historic Site Attractions

The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site is a seven-acre complex containing eight historic buildings. It is the largest, most complete United States Life-Saving Service (USLSS) complex in the nation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1874 Station was the first operational station in North Carolina and is the second oldest government structure on Hatteras Island. It is one of only two original 1874 stations open to the public in the nation. A newer station was built in 1911 and is now fully restored. The entire site became an active U.S. Coast Guard station in 1915, when the USLSS merged with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service that year. It is the scene of the most highly awarded maritime rescue in U.S. history, the S.S. Mirlo in 1918. Site was decommissioned in 1954. There are four additional outbuildings, including a period-furnished cook house, and an original Hatteras Island 10-room, two story home built in 1907. The Chicamacomico Historical Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, now owns and operates the site as a museum and educational facility.