The first lighthouse was built in 1852 of cast iron made at the Baltimore foundry of Murray and Hazlehurst,[2] and was pulled down during the Civil War so that Union warships could not use it as a navigational aid.

During the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the lighthouse served as a shelter for at least 125 people, saving their lives.

The first lighthouse keeper, H. C. Claiborne, retired in 1918, after witnessing those two storms, and was replaced by a Captain J. Brooks.

[3] After withstanding over 150 years of erosion, the lighthouse has rusted to a dark brown color.

The lighthouse is adjacent to the Houston Audubon Society's Horseshoe Marsh Bird Sanctuary.