Moored off River Road and Fourth Street in Louisville, Kentucky, the Mayor Andrew Broaddus is the only surviving floating lifesaving station of the United States Life-Saving Service. She bears the name of Andrew Broaddus (1900–1972), who served as mayor of Louisville from 1953 to 1957. Her historic purpose was clear and urgent: to protect travelers on the Ohio River from the Falls of the Ohio, with rescue crews ready for those who fell victim to the rapids.
Louisville was the first place where a lifesaving station was placed in western waters; the first lifestation here was established in 1881, and Mayor Andrew Broaddus is the third such station. On 22 October 1881 Life Saving Station #10 was placed in service at the Falls of the Ohio, and these skilled rivermen became personnel of the Service. A National Historic Landmark, Mayor Andrew Broaddus is the only surviving floating lifesaving station of the United States Life-Saving Service, a predecessor of the United States Coast Guard.
Listen for the river’s pull and imagine the crews who watched these currents. Notice the Ohio River and the Falls of the Ohio stretching out from here.