It is one of the only iron lighthouses in the state, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Little River Light Station on March 14, 1988.

[1] The light station is now owned by the American Lighthouse Foundation, which offers overnight stays in the keeper's house, and occasional tours of the property.

The Little River is an east–west tidal inlet on the coast of Down East Maine, with the town of Cutler on its northern bank.

The boathouse, a simple wood-frame structure, is located at the western end of the island, connected to the rest of the station by a wooden boardwalk.

A Vega revolving beacon was lit there on October 2, 2001, after 26 years of darkness in a ceremony attended by over 1000 people.