[2] The structure is best known today for evoking the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a condition caused by an ice floe in 1977.

The caisson was sunk approximately 10 feet (3.0 m) into the bottom and then filled with concrete to resist the force of waves and ice.

[6] The new light was built by the 5th Lighthouse District Engineer, O. E. Babcock, his staff, and a temporary force of laborers recruited for the project.

[8] Tulip's replacement, the newly-launched USLHT Jessamine, with Babcock aboard, sailed for Sharp's Island on 27 September 1881, even before she was officially commissioned.

The tower includes an integral dwelling and was staffed until 1938 when the United States Coast Guard automated the light.