[6] During the Civil War years, it became increasingly apparent that a shoal near St. Helena Island menaced maritime traffic through the Straits of Mackinac.

A complex of buildings was constructed around the lighthouse to support its operation, including keepers' dwellings, a boat dock, and a boathouse.

The tower was fitted with a tank of acetylene gas, a pilot light, and the "sun valve" recently invented by Nobel Prize-winning engineer Gustav Dalén.

When the sun set, the temperature would drop slightly, causing the valve to open and acetylene to be released against the pilot flame.

It is managed by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, which has a thirty-year lease,[13] but the Coast Guard maintains the optic.

[8][14] After the St. Helena lighthouse complex was de-staffed and the civilian fishing station became a ghost settlement, evidence of human presence on the island began to structurally deteriorate.

The U.S. Coast Guard, the lighthouse's last federal operator, viewed the remains as "attractive nuisances" for which they bore continuing legal liability.

[11] This recommendation was not implemented and the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA) assumed ownership of the property and commenced restoration efforts in 1986 with the help of Boy Scouts of America Troop 4 from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Possible future St. Helena goals include the construction of an unmanned visitor center on the island to educate visiting yachtsmen.

The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association annually organizes work crews for this light and often arranges tours that travel from Mackinaw City to the island.

Short of that, Shepler's Ferry Service out of Mackinaw City offers periodic lighthouse tours in the summer season.