In 1819, the fifteenth U. S. Congress recognized the need for navigational aides along the Great Lakes and set aside $5,000 for the construction of a light tower at the entrance to Sandusky Bay.

Smith)[6][full citation needed] built the 50-foot (15 m) tower of native limestone on the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula.

The first keeper was Benajah Wolcott, a Revolutionary War veteran and one of the first settlers on the peninsula (although from 1819 to 1821, resided in the City of Sandusky.

Other duties of the lighthouse keeper included compiling a log of passing ships, noting the weather conditions, and organizing rescue efforts.

In 1880, the original 1821 stone keeper's-house (adjacent to the lighthouse) was replaced with the present large wood-frame Keeper's House.

The last civilian lighthouse keeper resigned, and the United States Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the beacon in 1946.

With its original finish tattered by time and harsh weather, the exterior of the lighthouse tower was given a fresh coat of new stucco the same year.

In May 2010, the band Owl City featured this lighthouse in their music video for their hit single "Vanilla Twilight".

The lifesaving station museum is located near the Lighthouse on the State Park Property and features a variety of exhibits and an authentically restored 27-foot Coast Guard rescue boat complete with a launching railway.