[2][3][4] Built on the site of a light station first established privately in the 18th century, the current tower dates from 1891.

Tarpaulin Cove is on the south-central coast of the island, a point where the coastline curves from a generally westward direction to the south.

In 1759, Zaccheus Lumbert, a local tavern owner, established a light on the western shore of the cove, for the "public good of the Whalemen and Coasters".

[5] In 1890 a lightkeeper's house was constructed at a cost of $3,000; it was demolished in 1962, and only remnants of its foundation can be discerned.

[3][5] The station continues to be an aid to navigation; the facilities are managed by the Cuttyhunk Historical Society.