The 50-foot tower adjoined the duplex, and was accessible for both the Keeper and Assistant Keeper. The Tower includes 51 steps up a spiral staircase to a watch room, which has an 11-run ladder to get to the lantern room.
A 4th order Fresnel lens sat atop the Tower, creating a shining beam and warning sailors of the headland upon which the station is built. The light from the lens was capable of projecting for nearly 16 miles. The lens revolved by means of a weighted clockwork. The weights ran from the lantern room through a cavity at the center of the spiral staircase. The light was red, achieved by use of red glass chimneys over the kerosene lamp.
Keepers at Old Mackinac Point used a kerosene lamp to illuminate the lens when the station opened in 1892. An incandescent oil vapor (IOV) system, similar to modern camping lanterns, replaced the lamp in 1913. The station was electrified in 1928.
