Isaac M. (Isaac Morton) Small

Born in North Truro, Massachusetts, in 1845, Isaac Morton Small grew up in a family closely tied to Highland Light on Cape Cod. Sources describe him as the grandson of the first keeper of Highland Light, and he later became deeply associated with the station himself.

Small worked for more than 60 years as the Marine Reporting Agent at Highland Light, beginning that work as a young man during the Civil War era. His long experience on the outer Cape gave him firsthand knowledge of the dangerous coastline, the ships that passed by, and the many wrecks and rescues that shaped local memory.

He turned that knowledge into books and pamphlets about Cape Cod history, including Shipwrecks on Cape Cod and True Stories of Cape Cod. His writing is valued less for literary flourish than for its direct, lived connection to the place and people he wrote about, preserving the texture of lighthouse life and maritime history for later readers.