Nahant Life-Saving Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Nahant Life-Saving Station
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 96 Nahant Road, Nahant, Massachusetts |
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| Built | 1900 |
| NRHP reference No. | 12000133 |
| Added to NRHP | March 20, 2012 |
The Nahant Life-Saving Station is a historic building in Nahant, Massachusetts. It was once a very important place for coastal rescues. This station has a main house and a building for equipment.
It was built in 1900 by the United States Life-Saving Service. This group helped people who were in trouble at sea. Later, in 1915, the United States Coast Guard took over the station. The station stopped its rescue work in 1964. After that, the Coast Guard used the buildings for fun activities. In 1999, the land was given to the Town of Nahant. This station is one of only twelve like it still standing in Massachusetts. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. This means it's a very important historic site.
Where is the Nahant Life-Saving Station?
The town of Nahant is on a special type of island. It's called a tied island. This means it's connected to the mainland by a sandy path. This path is like a natural bridge. The station is located on the east side of this sandy path. It sits between Little Nahant and the main part of Nahant.
What Does the Station Look Like?
The main building is a large, two-story wooden house. It has a square tower on one corner. The building is designed in a style called "Shingle style." This means it has many wooden shingles on its outside walls. It has a sloped roof with special windows that stick out.
The front of the building has two porches. These porches have round columns. Inside, the building was set up for different uses. The north side was for the keeper's home. The south side was for the crew members. The middle part was for storing boats and other rescue gear.
The east side of the building has two large double-doors. These doors were used to move boats out to Nahant Bay. The west side has one double door. This door was for launching boats to the west. Victor Mendeleff designed this main building in 1900.
Next to the main station, there is another building. This is an equipment building. It looks like a garage with four bays. It was built in 1938 by the Coast Guard.
History of the Nahant Life-Saving Station
This station was built in 1900. It was one of 33 such stations in Massachusetts. What makes it special is that it wasn't built using a standard plan. Most other stations looked the same. This one was unique.
The Nahant Life-Saving Station was used until 1964. This was longer than almost any other station in the state. Only the Point Allerton Lifesaving Station stayed open longer. That station is now a museum.
After 1964, the Coast Guard changed the Nahant building. They used it for fun activities. Then, in 1999, they gave the building to the town of Nahant. The town has worked hard to fix it up. They made it look like it did around 1915.
