The Sabine Bank lighthouse originally rose 72 feet above the water in the Gulf of Mexico, with this lantern and watchroom forming its top 20 feet. Fabricated in Detroit, Michigan, it was shipped to Sabine by railway in 1904, then its cast iron plate caisson was partially assembled, towed offshore, and completed on a shallow shoal. Service began on March 15, 1906, and the lighthouse was manned until it was automated in 1923. In Texas waters, Sabine pilots called it the 18-Mile Lighthouse because it stood that distance from their station, then on the channel due east of this park. During World War II it became a coastal outpost manned by the U.S. Coast Guard. After the war it was again automated and continued as a navigational aid until it was declared obsolete and in 2002 contracted for removal. In May 2004, R.L. "Gabby" Eldridge and William D. "Bill" Quick acquired, refurbished, and placed this structure here to preserve part of maritime history.
