It was built in several stages between 1836 and 1890, and is a rare example of a 19th-century timber-cribbed stone breakwater.

Its underwater structure consists of timber cribs, most laid on a rubble foundation, that are filled with rubblestone.

Most of the upper levels of the cribbing have been replaced by stone because of subsequent rotting.

[2] The oldest portion of the breakwater, about 1,000 feet (300 m) long, was built between 1836 and 1854, and consists of the middle sections of the present structure.

It was built as part of a program by the federal War Department to improve shelter for the major port facilities on Lake Champlain.