beautiful FROM BARREN TO
BEACHES
Bridges transform island from farmland to playland
With mosquitoes as thick as
Vero Beach was deemed uninhabitable
Settlement on the island began as
early as the 1860s and by 1876 the
U.S. Lifesaving Service established
its presence in the region. The Bethel
Creek House of Refuge was the first of
10 stations built about 20 miles apart
to provide a safe haven for those shipwrecked
coast. The houses were built exactly
alike and included a main house, a
cistern and a boat house. The keepers
82
the dense palmettos and
being only accessible by
boat, the barrier island of
by early settlers.
along the desolate Florida
had to be physically sound, able
to read, write and offer shelter and
food to passengers and crew. It served
survivors from 34 vessels before fire
destroyed the main house in 1917.
The U.S. Lifesaving Service had transitioned
into the U.S. Coast Guard in
1915 and the house destroyed by the
fire was replaced by a building, which
was removed in 1936. The Coast
Guard closed the station in 1929, but
reopened it and erected a 40-foot
tower to watch for German submarines
during World War II. The federal
government transferred the 8-acre
site to the City of Vero Beach in 1950
and beautification of the park was
completed in 1958 by the Jaycees.
The family of James LaRoche from >>
City of Vero Beach 1919-2019 VeroBeach100.org
VANDIVEER COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY
The first House of Refuge in Florida, built by the U.S. Lifesaving Service at Bethel Creek in 1876, was one of the first European-style buildings constructed on
what is now Vero Beach. The Houses of Refuge were built along Florida’s coast line to provide a safe haven for people shipwrecked. The houses were located
about 15 to 20 miles apart, a day’s walk from one another. This photo of the House of Refuge at Bethel Creek was taken in 1908.
BY KERRY FIRTH
FLORIDA PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION
A bridge from the mainland to the barrier islands helped
make Vero Beach a mecca for sun worshippers.
/VeroBeach100.org