From reeds, to water, to mountains, here’s a beautiful Mystery Photo. Can you determine where this photograph was made? If so, send your idea to ebrack2@gmail.com, and include your hometown.
The last mystery photo came from Rick Krause of Lilburn. The only readers to recognize it were Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, and George Graf of Palmyra, Va. Peel wrote: “Today’s mystery photo is an old photo of the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station located in the unincorporated community of Rodanthe on Cape Hatteras in North Carolina. It was used by the United States Life-Saving Service and later the U.S. Coast Guard, to conduct sea rescues along the dangerous waters of the Outer Banks, an area known for frequent shipwrecks due to shifting sandbars and storms.
“This life-saving station was one of the first of seven built along the Outer Banks in 1874. It was expanded substantially in 1911 to include the main building shown in the mystery photo, as well as five other outbuildings (not visible in the mystery photo). The site continued to operate until 1954, after which it was transformed into a museum and is now managed by the National Park Service. It is one of the most significant and well-preserved life-saving stations in the United States.
“The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station has saved many lives throughout its history, including the ‘Mirlo Rescue’, when, on August 16, 1918, the British tanker HMS Mirlo was traveling off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, carrying a cargo of gasoline from New Orleans to Norfolk. As it neared Rodanthe, it was torpedoed by the German U-117 boat, which ignited the gasoline, causing massive explosions and turning the surrounding ocean into a burning inferno. The crew of 51 men was forced to abandon ship, escaping into lifeboats, but many were trapped by the flames. In the end, the Chicamacomico crew were able to reach 42 of the Mirlo crew and bring them safely to shore.”
- SHARE A MYSTERY PHOTO: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Click here to send an email and please mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
Follow Us