Following the Civil War an increase in shipping accidents along the nation's coastal and inland waterways prompted the federal government to establish the U.S. Lifesaving Service. Of the many stations erected along the Virginia coast, this building, formerly known as the Seatack Lifesaving Station, is one of the few that survives. “Seatack” is a slang contraction used locally to refer to the British “sea attack” during the War of 1812. Architect George L. Tolman developed the prototype design for the station—dubbed “the Quonochontaug” after a Rhode Island beach—in 1891, and it was used
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Old Coast Guard Station
1903, George R. Tolman. 1933, renovation and expansion. 1979, reorientation. 1980–1981, restoration, Melvin M. Spence and Associates. 24th St. and the Oceanfront. Open to the public
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