STUART — More than a century ago, shipwrecked sailors who washed up on the Treasure Coast immediately looked for mile markers nailed to trees and posts to direct them to safety.

These markers were designed to be easily understood by men from every country and education level. Over time they were lost to history, but replicas are currently on display at the House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar.

Keeper Linda Geary asked House of Refuge volunteer Tina Van Camp to recreate two markers using specifications outlined by the Life Saving Service.

Van Camp, a self-taught carpenter who lives in Fort Pierce, said the project made her appreciate the hardships sailors and lighthouse keepers faced more than over 100 years ago.

First, she called maritime institutions up and down the East Coast to see if they had a marker for her to work from. When they couldn’t even produce a picture, she enlisted the services of Marty Baum, a local historian and descendant of a Lake Worth lighthouse keeper. Their research revealed the original markers were 36 inches long, in the form of a pointing hand and painted black with white, stenciled letters two inches high.

While lighthouse keepers’ signs where supposed to adhere to these specifications exactly, Geary said that wasn’t always the case.

“Back then keepers used what they had,” Geary said. “Sometimes signs were six feet long and painted on a piece of driftwood. Sometimes they were nailed to a post, hammered to a tree or stuck up on a dune. But they were out there and they did save lives.”

It took Van Camp and her daughter Summer Pace, 10, about 10 hours to complete two signs, one pointing north and one pointing south.

“I’m really happy with the way they turned out,” Van Camp said. “Imagine these nailed to a post or a tree on the beach. For someone who was shipwrecked, it was a real lifesaver, especially in the night.”

The House of Refuge, 301 SE MacArthur Blvd., Stuart, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under 6 are admitted free.

The House of Refuge is the last remaining shipwreck lifesaving station in the United States. It was constructed in 1876 on the St. Lucie rocks of the Anastasia Formation, one of the most prominent geologic outcroppings along the entire Eastern seaboard. It is the oldest structure on the Treasure Coast, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The House of Refuge was originally one of ten houses commissioned by the U.S. Lifesaving Service, designated as havens for shipwrecked sailors and travelers along the sparsely populated Atlantic coastline of Florida.

By Amy Morris, TCPalm.com

Tags: bars, beach, camp, children, education, Florida, hand, history, housing, lake, national, North, painting, safety, Stuart, travel, trees, volunteer, volunteering, volunteers

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