Historical marker celebrating Rehoboth Beach Patrol to be installed August 5

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – The City of Rehoboth Beach will unveil a state historical marker honoring the Rehoboth Beach Patrol’s more than 100 years of service during a public ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, on Baltimore Avenue in front of the new beach patrol headquarters.

“We are honored to receive this state historical designation for the Rehoboth Beach Patrol,” Mayor Stan Mills said in a statement. “It signifies the dedication, hard work, and compassion that the patrol has brought to our beaches for more than a century. It’s a legacy today’s beach patrol continues to uphold.”

Founded in 1921 by Benjamin F. Shaw and the American Red Cross, the Rehoboth Beach Patrol (RBP) has monitored the safety of the city’s two-mile beachfront. Over the decades, lifeguards have provided medical assistance, conducted rescues, evacuated beaches, and reunited lost children with their families.

In 1977, the patrol launched the RBP Lifeguard Olympics, an annual competition drawing lifeguards from Delaware and neighboring states to compete in events including swimming, running, and rescue skills.

The Junior Lifeguard Program, established in 1997, introduces children to water safety, first aid, and surf rescue techniques to foster ocean-safety awareness and develop future lifeguard skills.

The brief unveiling ceremony is open to the public.