The United States government decided in the 1840s that a prominent lighthouse should be erected to alert mariners to that hazard.

[2] The tower is 60 feet (18 m) high; its lower portion is constructed of brick, and its upper part is granite.

[3] Renovations to the tower at the time included installation of a new lantern section, adding some 10 feet (3.0 m) to its height.

[2] In 1987, the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Sankaty Head Light.

The 'Sconset Trust acquired the lighthouse in 2007, and had it moved away from the eroding bluff (approximately 400 feet (120 m)) in October of that year.