It was one of the first two U.S. government lighthouses opened in Alaska, lit first on March 21, 1902.The original lighthouse burned. The replacement, built in 1935, "is a good example of Modern Movement architecture, popular in the 1930s for concrete buildings, It was both the first and last manned lighthouse in Southeast Alaska. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Five Finger Light Station in 2004. It is now used by the Alaska Whale Foundation.