Old Harbor U.S. Life Saving Station, Maritime rescue station at Race Point Beach, Provincetown, United States.
The Old Harbor Life Saving Station is a two-story wooden structure with a four-story observation tower overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The building contains displayed rescue equipment and artifacts from its operational years as a life-saving facility.
The building was constructed in 1897 near Chatham Harbor, then relocated by barge to Race Point Beach in 1977 to escape coastal erosion. This move made it one of the few life-saving stations that was successfully relocated rather than lost to the sea.
The station preserves the legacy of maritime rescue operations through exhibits displaying equipment, photographs, and documents from the Life-Saving Service era. Visitors gain insight into how rescue crews worked and why these operations were vital for coastal communities.
The station is open from May through September, Friday through Monday between 2 PM and 4 PM, with guided tours available. Visitors reach it by walking along the beach, so plan for sand walking and be prepared for changing coastal weather.
Staff members regularly perform demonstrations of historical rescue techniques during summer months, showing how rescue crews once used beach apparatus to save lives. These demonstrations give visitors a sense of the physical effort and skill required for such rescue operations.
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