Eagle Harbor Lifesaving Museum displays latest upgrades

Renovations are complete at the Eagle Harbor Lifesaving Museum

"Every year we have an open house. We always have new developments in our displays," said museum chairman, Mark Rowe. "We had all new display panels reprinted for this year."

Including a fresh paint job, new roof and an excavated boat railway.

Visitors were able to learn about the former lifesaving service now called the U.S. Coast Guard.

This museum is one of the latest stations built in the Great Lakes back in 1912.

"The government placed these stations in strategic locations through the early years starting in the late 1800's when they've started establishing these stations through out the Great Lakes," added Rowe.

Visitors even got to see the earliest rescue boats when surfmen use to row 300 miles out on lake superior to save others.

One says he knows the site all too well.

"I remember too when all the buildings were here because we use to come up since I was, well I was born in 1930, I don't remember until 1935, but we use to come up every year," said Jack Bennetts.

The U.S. Coast Guard 47 even brought one of their own modern rescue crafts for display, and for those to hear experiences from the surfmen themselves.

"The importance of wearing life jackets, have your safety gear on your boats also to show them what we use and what their tax paying money goes to. in our training, in the electronics we use and just general knowledge of what the coast guard is," mentioned surfman Devon Lettie.

It's not too late to check out the Eagle Harbor Lifesaving Museum for yourself.

The site is free of charge and will remain open until October.