Martin Digital History

Capt. Louis Barling, 1956

Item

Title

Capt. Louis Barling, 1956

Description

William Louis Bartling (1867-1958) at a party for his 91st birthday at the Sandpiper Restaurant in Jensen Beach, arranged by museum director Val Clear. Bartling claimed he was shipwrecked near the House of Refuge in about 1903. While he lived in several places afterward, including Jensen Beach, by 1954 he had lived in a shack near the Gilbert's Bar House of Refuge so long, he was considered a fixture. When the county purchased the lifesaving station from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1954, one of the agreements was that the county take care of Bartling, and he was allowed to continue to live in his shack near the House of Refuge land. He died in a fire in 1958.

Source

Scan gift of Historical Society of Martin County.

Date

Rights

Copyright Undetermined The copyright and related rights status of this Item has been reviewed by the Martin County Library System, but we have been unable to make a conclusive determination as to the copyright status of the Item. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For more information, visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/

Format

Black and white print; 7.8x10 inches

Language

English

Type

Still image

Identifier

HSMC-2023-018-2-b2-003
2023.018

Coverage

Original Format

Photographic print

Citation

Ernest Tyner (1917-1961), “Capt. Louis Barling, 1956,” Martin Digital History, accessed October 5, 2026, https://www.martindigitalhistory.org/items/show/2819.