Plum Island - Lifesaving Station and Grapeshot

At least 213 shipwrecks have been identified and catalogued in this area.

An example: in 1867 the Grapeshot ran aground in just off Plum Island.  She rests now under eight feet of water and is visible to kayakers and divers just off the beach.

With this history of wrecks, Congress authorized the US Lifesaving service to establish a Life Saving Station on Plum Island. The main station building was a "Duluth type" station, one of fourteen that were built on the Great Lakes.  This is the only one still standing.

The station was opened in 1896 and housed a professional life-saving crew of "surfmen".  The surfmen did not operate any lights, but monitored passing traffic and set out in 25 foot long open boats to rescue mariners in distress.

A hiking path along the water follows the foot path around the Island that they patrolled several times a day, watching for ships.

The Boat House is a Roosevelt type boat house, built in 1939.  1939 is also the year that the US Coast Guard took over the duties of the surfmen, and lighthouse keepers.

Preservation of the structures is an objective of FOPPI and the US Fish and Wildlfe Service, but substantial funds must be raised to accomplish this goal.

Plum Island is open to the public during the summer months, but visitors must arrive by small boat that can be beached or anchored offshore.  The dock is unsafe for public use.