Hull Lifesaving Museum

The Museum

The Hull Lifesaving Museum is so much more than a museum. Founded in 1978, we are an essential part of the community that for over 40 years has provided not only crucial lessons from our maritime heritage, but also life-changing and sometimes life-saving youth development experiences. Our mission celebrates the lifesaving spirit of Skills, Courage, and Caring, and the relevance of our history to our constituents’ daily lives. As one of our region’s leading cultural organizations and agents of social change, HLM challenges its participants to draw the best from themselves by combining social services and experiential education with historical preservation and interpretation. HLM’s year-round education and recreation programs, serving a diverse constituency, 75% of whom are underserved youth from metropolitan Boston, are broadly recognized as best practice models. HLM’s program design respects the needs, expectations, and skill level of each participant.

MISSION

The driving principles of the 19th century coastal lifesavers – Skills, Courage, and Caring – are the foundations of the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s commitment to impact individual lives for the better. We foster a community dedicated to the preservation of Boston Harbor’s rich maritime heritage and lifesaving traditions through exhibits, collections, open-water rowing programs, and stewardship of our historic sites.

History

The Hull Lifesaving Museum (HLM) is housed in the former Point Allerton US Lifesaving Station opened in 1889 under the leadership of Joshua James who, with his crews of the Massachusetts Humane Society and US Lifesaving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service, were merged to form the US Coast Guard. Joshua James is considered a “father” of the US Coast Guard.