The east end of Grand Cayman has long been well known for the treacherous reefs which lie under the ocean's surface just off its coast, and was in the past known as the "Graveyard of the Caribbean".

[5] The first lighthouse for the East End was erected about a half-mile away from the site of the present tower, being built on Gun Bluff in the early twentieth century.

[5] With the completion, in 1935, of the coastal road along Grand Cayman's southern coast, the community around East End ceased to be as isolated as it had traditionally been, and it was no longer used as a port of entry.

[5] The Guard maintained a 24-hour coastal watch along Grand Cayman's coasts, and a four-man team, commanded by a corporal, was stationed at East End.

The men were given a small barracks, containing a bunkroom, kitchen, and outside latrine as quarters, and had a telephone line connecting them directly with the central office in George Town, to which they reported every half-hour.

[5] The East End Light remains an active aid to navigation, being administered for that purpose by the Cayman Islands' Port Authority; today it is powered by solar energy.

Flower beds show examples of various plants which were used as medicines by the Islands' earliest settlers, and a thousand-gallon water tank has been installed to provide irrigation.