The Round Island Lighthouse began operating in 1832 on a small island at the entrance to the Pascagoula estuary, three miles from the mainland. In 1849 a group of men seeking Cuban independence tried to organize an expedition from the island. They damaged the lighthouse and briefly kidnapped the keeper and his two sons before federal forces overran them. The rebuilt 48-foot brick tower was finished in 1859.
Weather ended its working life. The light went inactive in 1944, and after Hurricane Georges in 1998 and Katrina in 2005 only about a third of the structure was left standing on the island. In 2010 the City of Pascagoula moved that remnant to the foot of the Pascagoula River bridge on US 90, at the entrance to town. Another third of the tower, most of the lantern gallery included, was salvaged from the island, and by 2015 the interior and exterior renovations were done. What you see is a recovered lighthouse rather than an untouched one.
It stands in Lighthouse Park under the high-rise bridge. In 2026 the city and the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area opened "The Story of Pascagoula: A Historical Pathway," a line of signs covering nine eras from the Native peoples through the shipyards, including the 1973 report of two fishermen abducted by aliens on the river.
The closest stops worth working into your route