This is Maryland’s only surviving U.S. lifesaving station, and one of Ocean City’s earliest buildings. Its prototypical one-and-a-half-story, frame, gable-front form with ocean-facing double doors to provide easy access for a life-saving boat was developed by service architect J. L. Parkinson. The current main section was erected in 1891 as a separate building providing accommodation for the keeper and his crew, later joined by a hyphen. The U.S. Lifesaving Service was superseded by the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, which continued to use the building until 1962. The adjacent watchtower was erected in 1934–1935, after the devastating hurricane of 1933. Both were moved to the current site and rehabilitated as a maritime museum, opening in 1977.