Light enough for sandy soils but durable enough to withstand severe weather, cast-iron lighthouses had been tested by the British in the Caribbean, but this one was among the first built in the United States. The 45-foot tower was cast in Baltimore by Murray and Hazlehurst Vulcan Works and shipped to the site, where it was erected by Henry Scoles of New Orleans. Inside, a single-wythe brick lining adds strength and insulation, and four small windows light the iron spiral stair. The watch room, elevated 53 feet, is ringed by an iron walkway and balustrade. The first 9-inch reflector light was quickly upgraded to fourteen 21.5-inch reflectors burning lard oil. Until automation in 1944, several generations of women served as keepers. The lighthouse became obsolete in the 1960s, and the Coast Guard transferred it to the City of Biloxi in 1968. Hurricane Camille tipped it to the northeast about 12 inches in 1969. Damaged again in Katrina, it reopened to visitors in 2010, and it remains one of the state’s most iconic structures.