The lighthouse was joined by the 200-foot (61 m) Sand Island Light across the mouth of the bay, about 3 miles (4.8 km) away in 1858.

This resulted in the Mobile Point Lighthouse being downgraded to a harbor light, at the same time a fourth order Fresnel lens was installed.

[1] The lighthouse was subsequently destroyed by cannonball fire in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War.

A 30-foot (9.1 m) iron lattice-work tower was built, along with a new light keepers house, in 1872 as a replacement and the Fresnel lens was transferred to it.

As of August 2007, no restoration had been undertaken or funded by the Alabama Historical Commission or any state body.