Because of missing Department of Interior public works records before 1860, it is difficult to know just when a second lighthouse was built to replace the original tower. However, it was described as being 19 feet by 25 feet. But as Lahaina grew, the navigational light became almost indistinguishable from other lights showing at night from the buildings on land. Mr. Edward Duvauchelle installed a light on his Union Hotel, which helped the mariners until 1856 when the government installed two powerful locomotive lamps by the Custom House. Repairs and improvements continued to be made to the lighthouse with a new one being built and put in operation on November 8, 1866. The new design was a store-house building with a light tower built on top, which contained the light room and a sleeping room for the keeper. The new lamps burned kerosene oil, instead of whale oil. The owners of a sugar plantation, Mr. James Campbell and Mr. Harry Turton, leased the storehouse each year until 1871 when the lease was secured by Colonel L.S. Spalding and the West Maui Sugar Association.
Through the 1870’s and 1880’s repairs and maintenance were made almost on an annual basis. In 1893 the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown. During the next 10 years the Harbor Master, Captain David Taylor, assumed responsibility for the light. He was succeeded by George H. Dunne who remained keeper of the Lahaina Light during the political transitions from provisional government to a republic. Dunne remained keeper when the U.S. Lighthouse Board assumed responsibility for the Hawaiian navigational aids.
The Lahaina Roadstead continued to be the most important shipping destination on Maui. The Lighthouse Board erected a completely new lighthouse in 1905. The new lighthouse was a wooden pyramidal tower fifty-five feet tall which raised the focal plane of light to sixty feet above high water. The new light served the Roadstead well for the next decade during which plans were made to automate many of the lighthouses in the islands. Consequently, by 1917 a new reinforced concrete tower housing an automatic light was completed. In 1937, electricity was brought in to turn the light on and off. A photoelectric cell was placed in the north window in the base of the concrete tower. A two-lamp changer was installed so that if one lamp burned out the other automatically revolved into place. There was also a battery-operated backup system that switched on in case of an electrical outage. The characteristic signal was a red flashing three second light visible twelve miles at sea.
The Lahaina Light, which today flashes red every 7.5 seconds, is a shining example of the importance of historic preservation. In 1996 the LRF signed a 30 year lease agreement with the Coast Guard and assumed responsibility for maintenance of the site.