Connecticut's second oldest lighthouse, Faulkner's Island Light was built in 1802. The Lighthouse Establisment was promted to build the lighthouse since many vessels navigating the Long Island Sound were destroyed on the rocks around the island. The beacon was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and the light was built by stonemason Abisha Woodward. The lighthouse is famed for the unusual outside staircase on the upper section which leads to the gallery deck.

Faulkner's Island is about three and one half miles offshore from Guilford. The light is the only active light station on an island in the state of Connecticut. The lighthouse construction is white, octagonal brownstone tower with brick lining. The keeper's house was destroyed by fire in 1976. Two years later the light was repaired and automated. In 1988 the light was converted to solar power.

More than 150 species of birds use Faulkner's Island, which is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, as a migratory rest stop. The island has one of the northeast's largest breeding colonies of roseate terns, an endangered species. Access to the island is restricted during nesting season from May to August.

Late 1999 the lighthouse was restored to its 1871 period costing over $200,000. The managing organization, Faulkners Light Brigade, hosts an open house each September in support of the continued rescue of the lighthouse from erosion. Supporters provide their own boat transportation.