Built in 1871 at Ferryland Head in order to guide mariners around the dangerous coastal protrusion, the Ferryland Lighthouse was one of brick construction painted red, and standing 14 metres high. The tower was connected to an adjacent dwelling which houses the keeper and their assistant. Like many brick towers in the province, it suffered from structural fatigue and it was noted that less than 10 years after its construction, cracks were beginning to form in the bricks which made up the tower. Multiple fixes were tried including a coating of silicate paint. Eventually it was decided to reinforce the tower with an outer iron shell, which allowed the tower to remain standing till the present day.

The last keeper left the lighthouse in 1970, however it would go on to be inhabited by artist Gerry Squires who offered art classes at the lighthouse. After Squires left in 1983 however, the dwelling sat abandoned and was left to decay (Although the light remained active). In 2004, the dwelling was restored by Jill Curran and Sonia O’Keefe with permission from the Ferryland town council after their first successful year running ‘Lighthouse Picnics’. The business still operates out of the lighthouse today, and remains an easily accessible, popular tourist location.