The nature of the Islands has seen many ships come to grief on the reefs. However, it was not until 1852 that a lighthouse was constructed at the northern end of Grand Turk. It was mainly at the insistence of the Americans who had many ships travelling to and from the Islands, mostly trading in salt.

In 1852 the Board of Trade erected the present 60 feet tower at a cost of £4 100. It was designed by Alexander Gordon and built by the Chance Brothers. It featured 8 Argand type whale oil lamps with reflectors which magnified the light to 450 times its original intensity. Gordon called it “a grand sea light” but it failed to live up to his expectations. In the first four decades of its use wrecks continued along with complaints that the light was either not lit or too dim. The Bahamian Lighthouse Inspectors carried out annual inspections but eventually the light was transferred to the British lighthouse and piloting authorities.

In 1943 Chance Brothers installed a Freshnel lens and kerosene light which had a visibility at sea in excess of 15 miles. In 1971 the lens, burner and clock mechanism were removed from the lighthouse when it became electrified and these items were put into store. The government donated the lens and the clock to the Museum when it opened. The lens and clock have undergone extensive cleaning and restoration, and the lens is now on display in the Museum.

In 1799 the Islands gained a representative in the Legislatice Assembly in the Bahamas. This gave the Islands some degree of formal ownership and management, even though the British had claimed the Islands in 1764 and appointed a King's Agent in 1766. The British Government now allowed a permanent settlement to be constructed on Grand Turk, and a map dated to around 1799 shows the division of the plots of land for Front Street and Middle Street. As the plot was divided at this time it is likely that building work on these sites would have started soon after.

the original house was a simple building, containing two rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs. To the north a seperate kitchen unit was built with a courtyard between the main house and the kitchen. This would prevent an outbreak of fire in the kitchen spreading to the main house, as well as preventing heat generated by cooking entering the house. Over the years additional side wings have been added, eventually attaching the kitchen to the main building, and a new porch added.

For a short while the building became the Guinep Lodge, a favourite guest house for some of the visiting divers. In 1990 the building was donated to the Museum Trust and was developed into the Islands National Museum.

The majority of the building uses locally quarried limestone. The timber for the beams and roof support most likely came from Shipwrecks, or ships broken up here, and this is clearly indicated by one of the major structural supports, which is an old ships mast. This is on display in the Museum.