[7] The lights were originally lit in 1897 and are 1,650 feet (500 m) apart, aligned on a 330° bearing line to guide boats safely into the Porte des Morts Passage.

The original 4th order Fresnel lens was removed from the tower in 2015 and is on display at the Death's Door Maritime Museum in Gills Rock, WI.

Large expenses for toxic waste-site environmental remediation were an impediment to transfers and restoration of the Plum Island site.

[11] The lighthouse keeper's house and Coast Guard station were listed as being among Wisconsin's ten most endangered historic properties in April 2000.

[9][12][13] All of the maritime structures on Plum Island were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.