Old Harbor Life-Saving Station

Old Harbor Life-Saving Station, off Race Point, Provincetown

Old Harbor Life-Saving Station was built in Chatham in 1897. The station was operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, and its precurser the U.S. Life-Saving Service, until it was decommissioned in July 1944. In the early 1970s, the building was obtained by the National Park Service. By then, it was in a precarious position on an eroding beach. In November 1977, it was moved by barge to Race Point Beach in Provincetown, where it stands today.

The station has been furnished as it would have been around 1900. The site serves as a museum, where the stories of wrecks, rescues, and the heroic life-savers are brought to life by volunteers each summer during open houses. Additionally, breeches buoy rescue re-enactments are conducted on the grounds on Thursday evenings during July and August.