Lewes & Rehoboth Hundred in Rehoboth Beach in Sussex County, Delaware — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Surf Safety Line

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 28, 2022

1. Surf Safety Line Marker

Inscription. When at the beach, women of the early 20th century wore woolen bathing attire that covered most of their bodies. When wet, the suits were heavy, and it became difficult to leave the surf and get back onto the beach without help. The women of the Village Improvement Association (VIA) solved this by funding Surf Safety Lines that were anchored in the sand and attached to a buoy offshore. When ready to leave, bathers could hold onto the line and pull themselves out of the water to the shore.

Erected 2022 by Delaware Public Archives. (Marker Number SC-285.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels • Women. In addition, it is included in the Delaware Public Archives series list.

Location. 38° 43.004′ N, 75° 4.572′ W. Marker is in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in Sussex County. It is in Lewes & Rehoboth Hundred. It is at the intersection of Rehoboth Avenue and North Boardwalk, in the median on Rehoboth Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this

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postal address: 2 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach DE 19971, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Delaware’s Beaches.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

on the Delmarva Peninsula,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: City of Rehoboth Beach (a few steps from this marker); Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Bandstand (within shouting distance of this marker); Rehoboth Beach Patrol (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tommy Coveleski (about 300 feet away); Funland (about 700 feet away); Giovanni Da Verrazzano (approx. 0.2 miles away); World War I Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rehoboth Beach.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Ocean Facts (was a few steps from

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 28, 2022

2. Surf Safety Line Marker

this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 4, 2024

3. Surf Safety Line Marker

Woman's Christian Temperance Union Fountain image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ian Lefkowitz, May 4, 2024

4. Woman's Christian Temperance Union Fountain

The Surf Safety Line historical marker can be seen next to the Woman's Christian Temperance Union Fountain, which was erected in 1929.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 613 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on May 28, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 28, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4. submitted on March 19, 2025, by Ian Lefkowitz of New York, New York. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.