Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

United States Life Saving Station

Jupiter Inlet

— 1885-1899 —

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, July 13, 2016

1. United States Life Saving Station Jupiter Inlet 1885-1899 Marker

Inscription. In 1885, the only United States Life Saving Station on the Florida East Coast was built at this site. Charles R. Carlin, a former British sailor and Assistant Keeper at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, oversaw construction and served as the Station’s Keeper. The two-story facility housed men and rescue equipment, including a 27-foot self-bailing surf boat, a Lyle Gun, and a Breeches Buoy apparatus used to transfer people and cargo from ships in distress. The Station, highly regarded for its efficiency in sea rescues, was manned September through April by six uniformed Surfmen, who were quartered on the second floor. During the summer only the Keeper was on duty. The Surfmen drilled, stood watch in the tower, patrolled the beach, maintained equipment, and trained as medics. The Keeper’s detailed logs recorded rescues, weather details, patrol duties, and daily activities at the Station. With the completion of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railroad and the decline in sailing ships, the paid crew was replaced with local volunteers. Carlin remained caretaker until his death in 1912. At the advent of World War I, the Life Saving Service merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to create the United States Coast Guard.

Erected 2010 by The Town of Jupiter and the Florida Department of State. (Marker

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Number F-703.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.

Location. 26° 55.782′ N, 80° 4.137′ W. Marker is in Jupiter, Florida, in Palm Beach County. It is on Van Kessel Parkway 0.1 miles east of Ocean Boulevard (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north. Located in Carlin Park in front of the Lazy Loggerhead Cafe. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6 Van Kessel Parkway, Jupiter FL 33477, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

on the Treasure Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

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

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: U.S. Jupiter Life Saving Station (here, next to this marker); The Origin of the Name Jupiter (approx. 0.8 miles away); W.D. Anderson (approx. 0.8 miles away); Jupiter Lighthouse (approx. 0.8 miles away); Jupiter Inlet Shipwrecks (approx. one mile away); Jupiter Inlet Midden I (approx. one mile away); DuBois Pioneer Home (approx. one mile away); The Jupiter and Lake Worth Railway (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jupiter.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

United States Life Saving Station Jupiter Inlet 1885-1899 Marker on right. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, July 13, 2016

2. United States Life Saving Station Jupiter Inlet 1885-1899 Marker on right.

U.S. Jupiter Life Saving Station marker on left.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 981 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 16, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.