The white tower with its white light served as a navigational beacon for vessels traveling the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, which links both Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake and connects them with the Erie Canal. It was moved from its original location in 1927 to the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, where it remains in operation today. Its initial location is now home to Allan H. Treman State Marine Park, where an identically-constructed red lighthouse with a red light, the Cayuga Inlet Breakwater Lighthouse, was built to help boaters navigate back into the marina. Both lighthouses are visible from shore and from the water, and both remain in operation today, though neither tower is accessible to the public.