House of Refuge & Elliott Museum Day Trip

Are you interested in shipwrecks, Native American culture, vintage cars and baseball cards? If so, we have the trip for you!

On Wednesday, June 10, the Palm Beach Pack and Paddle Club plans to visit the newly renovated House of Refuge Museum and the Elliott Museum, both near the ocean in Stuart. Trip leaders are Kathy Dull & Bruce Moore.

Here are more details on the places we will visit:

House of Refuge Museum

The House of Refuge Museum is the last remaining of 10 houses of refuge built along Florida’s east coast. In the late 1800s, the houses of refuge were built to rescue shipwreck survivors.

The oldest building in Martin County, the House of Refuge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Run by the United States Lifesaving Service, the houses played a critical role in a time when sailing ships dominated the world commerce.

The House of Refuge site became a U.S. Coast Guard station in the early 1900s. In 1942, when German U-Boats torpedoed freighters along the Treasure Coast, a lookout tower and additional buildings were constructed on the property. In 1945, the U.S. government decommissioned House of Refuge operations, and the house sat empty until 1953, when Martin County purchased it and its 16-acre grounds for $168. The museum has been renovated since our last visit in 2024.

For more information: https://hsmc-fl.com/house-of-refuge/

Elliott Museum

The Elliott Museum offers local history exhibits, temporary exhibits and a variety of collections to include vintage cars, baseball, artwork, Americana, local history and much more. There will also be a special art exhibit at the museum in June.

Harmon Elliott (1887-1969) was the son of prolific inventor Sterling Elliott. To celebrate his father’s work and bring an educational and cultural resource to the region, Harmon provided the principal funds for the original Elliott Museum, which opened in 1961.

The original Elliott Museum was demolished in 2011 to make way for a new, state-of-the-art, green building with new and expanded exhibits on the same site. The new Elliott Museum opened in 2013, celebrating the genius of the father and the generosity of the son.

For more information: https://hsmc-fl.com/elliott-museum/

Sign-up details

Advance sign-up IS REQUIRED to attend this trip. Please text 561-906-7127 or 561-312-2765. When leaving a message, we will need your name, email and phone number.

Information on when and where to meet and lunch plans will be provided to those who sign up in advance. After our tour of the House of Refuge, we will meet for lunch at a seaside restaurant before our visit to the Elliott Museum.