The Great Improver

Some engineers create from nothing, inventing new and hopefully useful objects. Other engineers take currently available objects and through craft and ingenuity, transform them into better, more useful objects. David Porter Heap, a little known contributor to our lighthouse heritage, did some of each. However, his main talent was in improving the designs of others, reducing their cost and simplifying their construction. He can truly be called the "Great Improver" of the United States Lighthouse Service. The following story will outline some of his life and work. David Porter Heap was born at the U.S. Legation in San Stefano, Turkey in 1843, where his father worked as a diplomat. He was a bright boy with a talent for building and mathematics. He came to America in the late 1840s and lived with his family in Chester, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.