The lighthouse is a white stone tower, located at the south end of Bois Blanc Island near the mouth of the Detroit River where it opens into Lake Erie.

[3] Its purpose was to improve naval safety in Lake Erie, on which greater navigation was occurring because of the 1829 completion of the Welland Canal.

[7] The original structure was built of square-cut logs from white oak, with gun slits on each wall.

Young states that the blockhouse and battery on Bois Blanc Island is "ridiculous in the extreme" since it would not prevent or mitigate enemy incursions.

[7] By 2010, the derelict building was missing the upper floor and staircase, the walls were on the verge of collapsing, and the roof was caving in.

[7] In 2013, residents of the island raised $5,000 that, along with other private donations, paid for the cost to install a cedar shake roof.

[2] The lighthouse was decommissioned in the late 1950s,[3] and in 1961, it became property of Parks Canada, which removed the steel frame in the 1970s, and also restored the door and fan light.