Four Points Bulletin

Houses of Refuge were designed to offer sailors and travelers a place of refuge after becoming shipwrecked, not having to succumb to the elements of nature after finding land but no food or water. Houses of Refuge were ran by the United States Lifesaving Service during a time when the world was dependent on sailing ships. There were ten Houses of Refuge built on the Florida coast, the one in Stuart is the last one standing. It was built in 1876 by the US Department of the Treasury, keepers actively searched for shipwrecks here until 1945 when the U.S. government decommissioned House of Refuge operations. Less than 100 meters from the House of Refuge divers and snorkelers can visit the iron hull of Georges Valentine, a ship that ran aground in 1904. Although five crew members perished, seven found and sought refuge in the House of Refuge.