Gilbert's Bar - House of Refuge

Gilbert's Bar was named after pirate Don Pedro Gilbert who used to prowl the area waters.

In 1876, a series of 5, identical, Houses of Refuge were constructed about 25 miles apart by Albert Blaisdell on Florida's east coast, earning $2,900 per structure:
-#1. Bethel Creek, February 28, 1876 (burned down around 1885)
-#2. Gilbert's Bar, March 10, 1876 (still exists)
-#3. Orange Grove, April 6, 1876 (burned down March 2, 1927)
-#4. New Inlet, April 24, 1876 (destroyed by hurricane 1926
-#5. Biscayne Bay, April 18, 1876

Like the Lighthouse system, a Keeper and his family were appointed to live in the house on the first floor, earning $40/month. Each house was 54' x 25' with an 8' wide porch that ran on 3 sides of the structure. The south room was a bedroom. Next was the living room, then a dining room. The last room (north), was the kitchen. North of the kitchen was a brick cistern. The roof was made up of unseasoned cypress shingles and a gutter ran around the entire structure and emptied into the cistern. There was no glass in the windows, only mosquito mesh. The doors and shutters were one and three-quarter inches thick.

The entire second floor was an open room lined with cots along the east and west walls with a path down the center for survivors to await for a passing ship to rescue them. Each House was equipped and supplied with provisions for over 20 survivors for 10 days.

Each had it's own 22' surfboat & boathouse, also of identical construction.

In 1884 Francis M. Smith was awarded the contract to construct 6 more Houses of Refuge:
-Smith's Creek - 1886
-Mosquito Lagoon - 1886
-Chester Shoal - 1886
-Cape Malabar - 1886
-Indian River Inlet - 1886

Florida was the last frontier, lacking towns and enough lighthouses along the coast, whereas, in other states that did, had their shores protected by the young Coast Guard and their sister organization, the US Life Saving Service. The Keepers fell under the auspices of the USLSS. Fortunately, the warmer waters of Florida provided for shipwrecked sailors to be able to reach shore. Hypothermia still killed many people, but those who made it to shore would walk the beach in either direction. Eventually they would pass a sign in the shape of an outstretched arm pointing in the direction to the closest House of Refuge. On them would be painted the distance to the House, but if you couldn't read, you could just follow the pointing finger. The Keeper would patrol north and south between 2-4 miles, four times each day looking for sailors, wrecks, distress lights and in low light/fog listening for the sound of a weather gun being fired.

From 1885- 1893 when the "Barefoot Mailmen" walked the beach route from Lake Worth to Ft. Dallas (Miami) they (and their occasional companions) would spend the night in Orange Grove, Monday & Friday; Ft. Lauderdale, Tuesday & Thursday and Biscayne Bay on Wednesday nights.

In 1915 the Houses of Refuge were taken over by the US Coast Guard and the Keeper's title was replaced with "Surfman." The 1926 Hurricane destroyed the New Inlet station, and all were discontinued by 1928. This particular House is the only remaining one and today serves as a museum.