The new lighthouse was built on higher ground and did it s job until the Civil War. At that time, lighthouses all over the Gulf Coast were put out of commission by the warring forces. After the war, Round Island again presided over Mississippi Sound. It served well until 1946 when it was discontinued by the Coast Guard. In later years the City of Pascagoula became the owners of Round Island and had the lighthouse placed on the National Historic Register.
T here are several interesting stories in Round Island s history.
It seems it was an outpost for blockade runners, smuggling cotton during the Civil War and also a quarantine station for Yellow Fever in some later years. I n 1849, mercenary forces and equipment were being gathered on Round Island for a revolution to free Cuba. History says there were hundreds of armed men camped on that little island. The public was in favor of their plan, although the Federal Government was not. The Island was blockaded by U.S. Naval ships.