May 1st Dedication Day | Debut of Nahant's Life-Saving Station

Plan to come see us at the Nahant Life-Saving Station on Sunday, May 1 - the day after Town Meeting - to launch the new incarnation of the Station. 
Our Re-Dedication starts at 1 PM

The Station was built over 110 years ago, in response to the loss of eight souls in the wreck of the three-masted coal schooner Charles Briggs on Short Beach in 1898 — just a sixteen days before the battleship USS Maine blew up in Havana Harbor and started the Spanish-American War.  Henry Cabot Lodge was a resident of Nahant, and also — to Nahant’s good fortune — a member of the Senate of the United States.  As the nation raced into war footing, and in less than a month, he got an article into the warrant for Town Meeting to transfer land on Short Beach to the federal government.  He also got the Congress to appropriate money to build a Life-Saving Station here.  (Today, we’d probably call it an “earmark.”)  It was the only station ever built of “double-edged” architecture, that is, set up to be able to launch surfboats in either of two directions — either across Short Beach, or across what is today Nahant Road, to the waters of Broad Sound. 

The Station served in the finest traditions of sea-rescue for some three generations, even as the U.S. Life-Saving Service was merged into the Coast Guard, and until the Coast Guard began to consolidate stations with the advent of more capable rescue boats.  Then it served another generation as a Coast Guard Recreational Facility — hosting beach parties for military families — before being deeded back to the Town in 2000. 

With its renovation nearing completion, on May 1 the Station marks the start of its new life - commemorating its history in service of sea rescue, and offering Nahant families the kind of opportunities for beachside events that in the past were available only to military families.  And more benefits for Nahant that we’ll develop as the renovations progress, and as we smooth out the rough patches. 

We’ll have special guests from the Coast Guard and from the history of the Life-Saving Service, as well as refreshments, and a few things to entertain the young’uns.  Maybe you’ll sign up to be part of the team to build a replica of a 1901-vintage surfboat for the Station.

We’ll also have an old-fashioned pie contest, with ribbons to be awarded.  Contestants should bring their entries to the Life Saving Station by 1:00 PM on May 1, and decisions of the judges will be announced at about 2:30.  After that, the remaining pieces of the entries will be offered to folks who are on hand.  There’s still an opportunity to serve as a judge of the competition.  Please contact Judy Walsh at 781-599-5533 either to enter or to volunteer to judge. Contributions of other baked goods will be gratefully accepted.

There are a few key opportunities remaining to make your name — or the name of a family member — a permanent part of the Station.  You can sponsor a door, for example, or a big Boatroom door, or even a window, and have your name permanently affixed to it, showing future generations your role in making the Station a treasure for future generations.  You may have seen the brass plaques in the Nahant Community Center, which are good examples.  You’ll have a chance on May 1 to make your name a permanent part of the building’s history. 

Parking will be at the Lowlands lot, except for handicap parking which will be available at the Station’s lot.

Come on out on May 1 and help us launch the Station’s new life.

Details and Activities | Pie Contest

NLSS Event Rental Webpage | April 8, 2011

We have posted the NLSS Rental information, contract and rate sheet for the 2011 season. Please visit the NLSS Rental webpage using the link below. Check back often for updates and other announcements!

Thank you again for supporting the restoration of the Nahant Life-Saving Station!

Click here to visit the NLSS Event Rental webpage.

The Apartment at NLSS

Nahant Preservation Trust (“NPT”) is encouraging proposals for leasing of the second-floor space at the Nahant Life-Saving Station. This apartment — with commanding beach and ocean views in all directions — occupies virtually the entire second floor of the recently renovated main building of the Station. The main building is about 110 years old. It was built by the United States Life-Saving Service (later merged to become part of the Coast Guard), and in the year 2000, the Coast Guard turned it over to the Town of Nahant, which has leased it to NPT. The building is the subject of a nomination for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

The apartment consists of a large great room, including a sitting room with kitchen and drawing room; two bedrooms; two bathrooms; and a study with abundant natural light. Space for the parking of two personal vehicles on the grounds of the Station will be included. The apartment will have an entrance through a door near the base of the Lookout Tower. It will be wired to accommodate Comcast cable services.

| View Larger JPEG Here | Download PDF File Here | Mar. 2011

The second floor space is partially finished at this time; Fixtures and finishes remain outstanding. NPT anticipates that the cost to finish the apartment could approximate $100,000. Lease arrangements will need to provide for “front-end-loading” of rent payments, so as to finance the completion of the work remaining in the apartment space.

Prospective tenants should be aware of certain important characteristics of the site. The first floor of the main building includes the Boat Room, which NPT expects to be actively rented for events of various kinds, including family parties, weddings, graduations, corporate gatherings, and the like. The Grounds of the Station will be available for rental for similar purposes.

As a result, caterers and rental vendors, etc., may be active on the first floor and grounds before, during, and after such events. In addition, a small office space at the base of the Lookout Tower is expected to be rented to an individual or small-business tenant. Finally, the Nahant Veterans Association (American Legion Post) has a long-term usage arrangement for a portion of the space on the first floor, and will be conducting meetings and other gatherings there on a regular basis.

It is not anticipated that the tenant in the second-floor apartment will have access to the Garage Building. The Garage Building remains to be developed for uses that are yet to be determined, but that are consistent with the civic orientation of the greater mission of NPT.

The apartment space amounts to approximately 1700 square feet, as reflected in the accompanying photos and floor plan diagrams. Water service is included, but heat and electricity will be separately metered for the account of the tenant(s), and cable service arrangements will be the responsibility of the tenant(s). Pets cannot be accommodated.

Inquiries about rentals should be by e-mail to the Trust’s representative at apartment@nahantpreservationtrust.org.

"Art of the Station" At NLSS!

Part of our restoration goal at the Life-Saving Station is to help visitors understand the Station's historic mission and colorful past. We are seeking images from any era, from the earliest days of the Station up until today including historic images, family snapshots, postcards, artwork, paintings, drawings and other memorabilia that include an image the Station. So dig out those images and be part of the “Art of the Station” exhibitory!

U.S.C.G. Eagle, Ship-In-A-Bottle

This one-of-a-kind historic ship-in-a-bottle was made by United State Coast Guard Master Chief Maurice Poulin of Nahant. Master Chief Poulin was stationed at the Nahant Coast Guard Station as part of his career with the United States Coast Guard which began for Maurice in 1941.