Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Glen Haven, Michigan |
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| Area | 2.1 acres (0.85 ha) |
| Built | 1901 |
| Built by | Robert J.B. Newcombe |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000285 |
| Added to NRHP | April 26, 1979 |
The Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station is a special building near Glen Haven, Michigan. It's also known as the Glen Haven Coast Guard Station. This station is important because it's a very old and well-preserved example of a building design used for saving lives at sea. It was added to a list of important historical places in 1979. Today, it's called the Sleeping Bear Point Coast Guard Station Maritime Museum. It's part of the beautiful Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Contents
A Look Back at the Station's Story
Building the Station
The Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station was built in 1901. A person named Robert J.B. Newcombe constructed it. He used special plans from the United States Life-Saving Service. This service helped rescue people from shipwrecks. Local volunteers mostly worked at the station.
Moving and Closing
The station was first built about a mile west of where it is now. But that spot was hard to reach. So, in 1931, the Coast Guard moved the station. They moved it to its current, easier-to-reach location. During World War II, the station stopped its operations. It officially closed for good in 1958.
Becoming a Museum
Later, the National Park Service took over the station. It became part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. From 1971, the station was used as a visitor center for the Lakeshore. In the early 1980s, much of the station was fixed up. It was made to look like it did in 1931. The boathouse and crew's bedroom were restored to their early 1900s look. In 1984, the station opened again. This time, it was a maritime museum.
What the Station Looks Like
The Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station has four main buildings. These include a house, a boathouse, a storage shed, and a signal tower.
The Main House
The main house is a two-story building. It's made of wood and sits on a cement base. Its roof is shaped like a triangle, called a gable roof. There's a porch at the front with four square posts.
The Boathouse
The boathouse is also made of wood. It has vertical wooden siding on its walls. The roof is a hip roof, which slopes on all sides. On top of the boathouse, there's a small, eight-sided tower called a cupola.
