VERO BEACH — History buffs gathered at Jaycee Park Monday afternoon for the unveiling of an historic marker on the site of what was once the Bethel Creek House of Refuge. Originally known as the Indian River House of Refuge, it became operational in 1876 as the first of 10 stations along the coast of Florida which provided shipwrecked passengers and crew with food, comfort and shelter.
The building is long gone, but its historical significance will be remembered thanks to local members of the National Society of Colonial Dames XVII (17th) Century.
“I was born here; until a couple of months ago I lived just up the street from here,” said Ann Waggaman, state president of the Florida Society of Colonial Dames XVII.
“I was not aware of the former existence of the Bethel Creek House of Refuge until about 10 years ago. This spurred the desire to share the knowledge of this local historical treasure with others, and what better way than a market that enables anyone visiting the site to learn a little piece of Vero Beach History.”
Waggaman credited Cora Sjogren-Welch for spearheading the project and enlisting the support of other Colonial Dames members, numerous City of Vero Beach departments and staff, and Pam Cooper, supervisor of the Archives Center & Genealogy Department at the Indian River County Main Library.
Vero Beach City Council members Pilar Turner, Tracey Carroll and Dick Winger were on hand for the dedication, along with Mayor Craig Fletcher who spoke of visiting as a child, what remained of a lookout tower built on the site by the Coast Guard to watch for submarines during World War II.
The significance of the Jan. 28 dedication date was related by Executive Petty Officer Randy Allain of the U. S. Coast Guard Station in Fort Pierce.
“This is the anniversary of the modern day Coast Guard; we have much bigger oars now to paddle our equipment,” said Allain.
Houses of Refuge had previously been operated by the U. S. Life-Saving Service which was merged with the Revenue Cutter Service and became the U. S Coast Guard as enacted on January 28, 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson.
Pam Cooper gave a brief history of the Bethel Creek House of Refuge and the 19 keepers and their families who manned the lonely outpost from 1876 to 1929. The history includes Laura Houston Braddock, whose father John was the first keeper; she is believed to be the first child born to pioneer settlers in the Vero Beach area.
“Health and boredom were the main reasons they left the post,” said Cooper of the keepers, who were required to be physically sound and able to read and write.
Two of the memorable shipwrecked vessels were the USS Panama in 1887 whose cargo of bolts of cloth was welcomed by rescuers, and the Breconshire in 1894, whose boiler off Humiston Park is now a popular diving spot.
Colonial Dames XVII Century, which is open to descendants of early colonists, is dedicated to preserving historic sites and records, promoting heraldry and research, and supporting charitable projects and education.