ElDora House Of Refuge

[AMTCM John Long]

Here's an interesting speck of history. While looking for guns and bows today in Edgewater, FL I ran into a shopkeeper (Stan Wallace) whose dad was in the CG years ago. His dad's name is CWO4 Earl Wallace. He is 90-something yoa. He came in circa WWII or before, I didn't catch the year. He had a couple of tours at Sta Ponce Inlet and the old St Augustine training station, among other places. IAW with Stan, Earl closed down the Eldora House Of Refuge years ago. I never heard of it till today. I did a little Google search and got a few hits. I think he said he has the station logbook, except for the last entry page. That is located with the National Park Service. Also of note, while in St Augustine as an instructor, Earl was teaching navigation and plotting to the trainees. One of his students was Buddy Ebsen (Uncle Jed). Earl is currently documenting his CG stories. I talked to Stan and asked if I could get some copies of the stories when Earl is finished so I can get them put in the CG Historian's Office. We swapped numbers. More to follow if it produces anything.

John

[BMCS Dave Considine]

Master chief

I love to see an airdale getting excited about small boat history! Hopefully it all pans out. When i get back in the office I will post a few old aviation pics I recently received.

Dave

[AMTCM John Long]

The big thing is I grew up in the area. I've been fishing down that way but never knew about the house..

Post your pics. I'd think folks would like to see them.

[GMCM Bill Wells (Ret)]

John,

Some years ago I wrote an article about the first motorcycle use by the Coast Guard. It was during WWI and mostly on the Flordia East Coast and on Padre and Mustang Island in Texas.

I shopped it around but no one accepted it. I'll dig it out and put it on line. Pretty interesting stuff and it shows how rapid technology can change the service in quick time.

[MSTCS Dennis Noble (Ret.)]

John,

You may know this, but just in case.

When Kimball reorganized the USLSS he established three types of stations: Lifesaving, Lifeboat, and House of Refuge (HR). The HRs were in warm areas. The thinking being that when a ship wrecked near shore in warm water they would not die from exposure to the water and probably not be in danger from rocks, etc. The danger lie in exposure from sun and lack of fresh water on an isolated coast. In these locations, HRs were established. The HRs were stocked with food, water, and clothing. The entire crew was one man--remember the thought being the sailor could make it to shore without help. Usually the keeper of the station had a wife, so that was the crew: husband and wife. There were only a few HRs, I would have to look at an annual report of the USLSS to tell you where they were located. Some of have been made into museums. Not too much has been written about these units. Believe sometime in the USCG era and before WW II, some actually received boats and crews. The more you can learn about these stations, the better it is for everyone in the service.

[CWO Dana Lewis (QMC) (Ret)]

This is going back 41 years, so it will be a little hazy. As a new Seaman apprentice, could barely afford a 63 Ford Falcon, and was stationed at Port Canaveral Station. Our area, which ran from Cape Kennedy down to past Sebastian Inlet.

If I remember on one road trip down A1A heading to Fort Pierce, there was, if I recall, at least one, and maybe two Houses of Refuge along that beach stretch. They were built up on pilings, basically a white single story box with a wrap around porch.

I don't know what that stretch of coast has built up to, but they were in the beach scrub on the ocean side of A1A.

May give you a starting point.

[GMCM Bill Wells (Ret)]

Dennis,

Following WWI some of the stations on the Florida east coast were down graded to HRs because of the installation of the telephone.

Interestingly, each of the "motorcycle" patrols carried a telegrapher's key. They would go to prearranged poles and plug in to make their reports. Of course, most of the time they wound up pushing their motorcycles back the station.

I'll have to get that article on line.

[PACS Steve Carleton]

John,

You can also contact Dr. Bill Thiesen, the Atlantic Area Historian, he is in the Global and would love to have access to the log book and obtain an oral history from the man.

[AMTCM John Long]

Another tidbit.....

The reason I was in Florida was for my nephew's wedding. The dad and grandmother of the gal he married were in the CG. The dad was a BM back in the early 70's in FL and the 90 something year old granny was I believe a CG SPAR in WWII. I'll have to chase that one down also. I didn't know that till the wedding reception.

[PACS Steve Carleton]

If you get names and locations, I'll hand them over to Doc Thiesen, his office is colocated with mine and he is always on the lookout for people to interview and capture their stories for preservation.

[GMCM Bill Wells (Ret)]

I looked into some of my past research.

The Fort Lauderdale Historical Society has some photographs of the Fort L. "House of Refuge" although I believe it was a station. Keeper Skogsberg was in charge in 1917.

There may be other local historical societies with information.

[AMTCM John Long]

Steve,

I'll PM you the info of CWO Earl Wallace's son, Stan. He can get you lined up.

Bill,

If your looking for more info.....Stan had mentioned that the National Park Service (NPS) at Canaveral had some historical items regarding the Houses Of Refuge in the area.

John

[GMCM Bill Wells (Ret)]

John,

Thanks but my interest in the stations is limited to those that used motorcycles for beach patrols 1917-18.

[AMTCM John Long]

No sweat. I don't have any knowledge about that. It wouldn't surprise if they did use them there based on the location and drivability of the beaches down that way.

John

[PACS Steve Carleton]

John,

Got your e-mail yesterday, I forwarded on to Doc Thiesen

[AMTCM John Long]

On my way home from work this afternoon, Stan called me on the cell. I got to talk to CWO4 Earl Wallace for a bit. He carries on a great conversation for being 90-something. He indeed did close up the Eldora House right before WWII. Sounds like he is the plank owner for Sta Ponce Inlet.
I will be getting a point of contact who lives next to him, near Sta Ponce Inlet. I guess this other fellow is a local reporter who has been helping him document his experiences. More to follow when I get.

[GMCM Bill Wells (Ret)]

John,

I would be worthwhile to have an expert like Dennis Noble read over what is taken down. Many people will do interviews but not ask questions that will help the future understand. Many times the things get off track and important details are missed.

I suggest whomever is doing the interviews read the USMC guide to conducting oral histories. It is the best out there.

[AMTCM John Long]

Thanks Bill. I'll pass it on.....John

[AMTCM John Long]

Here's an article you guys might interesting. I finally got some great pics emailed of CG Station Mosquito Lagoon and log entry from 1939. I'm having trouble getting them uploaded. They save as jpegs but show as a file type of htlm.m. When I try to upload I get an error message. I'll play with them when I get a chance.

Paul Mayer is a writer for the New Symrna news paper. He is helping LTJG/CWO Earl Wallace put together his stories.

John




NSB Observer Newspapers / The Smyrna Breeze
> Wednesday, April 10, 2007
>
> VIEW FROM BASCULE MOUNTAIN #15
> Upcoming Riverfest triggers distant Coastie yarns ...
>
> by Paul Mayer
>
> Looking forward to Riverfest 2007, the Marine Discovery
> Center's annual celebration of the IRL and estuary, forces
> me to look back at the early days down south at Mosquito
> Lagoon when the "keeper" of our then-U.S. Life Saving
> Service's House of Refuge paddled or oared to work by
> boat from Oak Hill. His work station and "house" was on
> the barrier island later to be named Coronado Beach.
>
> What remains of it today are wrinkled pilings in the Mosquito
> Lagoon estuary. Mere yards from Canaveral National
> Seashore's street turnaround, 5 miles due south of the
> rehabilitated Eldora State House, they're now a place of
> refuge for birds and fishes. In 1939, suspended from giant
> timber beams, its ranch-like entry sign read "U.S. Coast
> Guard, Mosquito Lagoon".
>
> The actual "House" was situated in the middle of today's
> turnaround, where Turtlemound Road/A1A dead ends
> approximately 7 miles into the Seashore national park. These
> days, it's where we park to walk down ocean and check
> out the "clothing optional" Atlantic seaside red-shell beach.
> Back then, by the way, clothing was imperative, something
> to do with swarming mosquitoes and sand flies. My, how
> tiny biting and stinging critters can influence lifestyle options.
>
> Construction of the Refuge "residences" up and down the
> Atlantic seaboard was triggered by Alexander Hamilton's
> creation of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service in 1790. Born
> of necessity to combat piracy on the high seas and to assist
> shipwrecked sailors that made it to shore, the Houses were
> authorized in the early 1800s when the U.S. Life Saving
> Service succeeded the RCS.
>
> About 1791, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
> began commissioning officers afloat as masters of revenue
> cutters. The first commission issued by President Washington
> was to Captain Hopley Yeaton, for whom today's Yeaton
> Hall at the USCG Academy in New London CT is named.
> Yeaton was assigned to the Cutter Scammel, then berthed
> at Portsmouth NH. Two direct descendents of said Capt.
> Yeaton reside in NSB and Edgewater, Paul James Yeaton
> and Dana Yeaton, respectively.
>
> Memorable among the keepers of Mosquito Lagoon's
> Refuge facility is Capt. Jarvis Midgette, a burly muscular man
> of exceptional strength. Appointed to the post in the late
> 1920s, he had the luxury of driving to work following the
> completion of the first bridge from the mainland to Coronado
> Beach. NSB resident and former Group Commander, ret.,
> Earl Wallace, who then weighed 135 lbs. soaking wet,
> recalls always standing next to "old" Midgette when they
> had to lift something heavy, like beached Cutter hawsers
> that had broken loose when pulling shrimp boats off sand
> bars.
>
> Old Capt. Midgette, following retirement around 1937,
> became Volusia County's Fish & Wildlife officer, leaving
> son Hilton Midgette a Coastie stationed at Mosquito,
> among a host of other Carolina-born Guardsmen named
> Midgette, until it was decommissioned 24 May 1939, and
> the Midgettes all were transferred to Ponce Inlet. A total
> of seven Coasties of various ranks were among the last
> muster to be dismissed at 7:10 PM that afternoon when
> down came our national ensign.
>
> Still the best story coming out of Mosquito's House of
> Refuge and short-lived USCG Station has to do with some
> thirty young college gals who were discovered floundering
> in a moderately rough surf by two Coasties on patrol mid-
> afternoon one "Easter Break" April while enroute from the
> Lagoon toward Mantanzas in their old International pickup.
> While the Rollins College girls, not knowing what next to
> do, jumped up and down and gathered around the skilled
> surfmen, the Coasties rushed into the rough seas to find two
> of the girls still partially under the surf, asphyxiated and
> incapable of movement. As they were about to go under for
> the final time, the surfmen pulled them up and out of the salt
> water and began resuscitation on shore.
>
> Making an arm and hand saddle, the girl found to be in the
> worst way was quickly hauled up to Rollins' beachfront
> dormitory (what we call a condo today), while the other
> was whisked over the shoulder to safety. A matronly house
> mother met them at the door, quickly moved aside as one
> of the rescuers strongly suggested that she do, and appeared
> somewhat unnerved when the Coasties stripped the girls,
> wrapped them in dry sheets and placed them in their beds.
>
> The house mom then became really excited when one of
> the young chaps instructed the girls to fetch a quart of
> Schendleys 'cause "a couple of shots of whiskey" should
> hasten their recovery. That's when a Dr. Smith was called
> and, upon arrival at the dorm, found both girls in good
> spirits.
>
> OC Meekins, A-Kena Keater (Carolina-speak), and
> surfman Wallace, having done their duty, moved along
> upshore, often driving on the dunes at high tide in order
> to reach their next rescue. Thank goodness the modern
> Coast Guard is privileged to use paved highways,
> helicopters and non-alcoholic prescription remedies to
> accomplish similar ends - thereby, data suggests, rarely
> being scolded by dorm moms. Rollins College, by the
> way, wrote up the 1938 heroics of the early Coasties,
> commending them for having saved the lives of two of
> their "ladies".

[BMCM Wray Gillette (Ret)]

John, FYI the weekend of May 19, there is going to be a "Station Ponce" reunion...

Wray... :cool:

[AMTCM John Long]

Wray,

I was going to talk to the PI folks and see if they already have something in the works for Earl.

John

[AMTCM John Long]

Wray...thanks....John

[BMCM Wray Gillette (Ret)]

Wouldn't you know that Saturday is my son's graduation..

Not sure what I'm gonna do yet...

Wray... :cool:

[AMTCM John Long]

Wray,

Today I was chasing down some photo information. I spoke to the BMC at Ponce who is running the event yourtalking about. He emailed me the flyer outlining what's going on. Sounds like a fun gig spread out over 3 days.

John