Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve

Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Coupeville Self-Guided Walking Tour chart the waters. of Historic Coupeville The early settlement of Coupeville makes sense when one looks at a map of the island. Ebey's The waLKing tOur begins at the informatiON kiosK Landing, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, was easy at thefoot of the Town Wharf (Front and to reach by water, and the nearby prairies and ALexander streets). The entire tour is abOut 24 shores of Penn Cove were both excellent places bLocKs Long, but it can easily be shorteNed. to establish homes. The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 attracted numerous settlers to the fertile area. Today, the 320-acre land claim of Thomas and Maria Coupe, who arrived in 1852, forms the eastern part of Coupeville. The claim of John Alexander, who arrived in 1851, is the western portion of the town. The buildings on the tour represent a broad range of structures, from the homes of the earliest settlers and entrepreneurs to community buildings of the 1940s. Nearly all types of buildings typical of a small town are found, including stores, churches, lodge halls, garages and warehouses. While most are simple vernacular styles, others feature elegant Queen Anne and Italian ate Coupeville is one of Washington's oldest towns, ornamentation. and the only town within Ebey's Landing Na- 1. Coupeville Wharf and Warehouse (1905) tional Historical Reserve. Many buildings remain Foot of N. W. Alexander Street much as they were one hundred years ago. Central Whidbey Island, including all of While today this place may seem out of the way, Coupeville, was designated a National Register it was once the heart of Whidbey Island. Early Historic District in 1973. In 1978 the Ebey's settlements relied on boats for both goods and Landing National Historical Reserve was created travel. Regular steam boat service - the famous to preserve the unique historic landscape as well "mosquito fleet"- ran from the l890s until as the buildings themselves. Although the 1937, connecting Coupeville with Seattle, Everett Reserve is a unit of the National Park Service, and numerous small towns. The growing popular- most of the property remains privately owned, ity ofthe automobile and the construction of the and Coupeville functions in the same way as any Deception Pass Bridge in 1937 brought this era other town in the state. to an end. Long before European explorers came, the Skagit This was the town's fourth wharf, built in 1905 tribe developed a thriving culture on Penn Cove. by a group of local farmers and merchants who The cove and the island were rich sources of the wanted a structure long enough that boats could fish, shellfish, game, berries and other foods on unload at low tide. This wharf extends 500 feet which they relied. The first white person to into Penn Cove. It is now owned and operated by explore the area was an Englishman, Master the Port of Coupeville. Joseph Whidbey, who came with Captain George Vancouver in 1792. He named this bay Penn Cove, in honor of a friend. More than forty years later, in 1838, au' S. Navy expedition came to 2. Blockhouse Inn (1870) 6. Cushen Ford Dealership (1925) Island County Historical Museum (1989) 23 N. W. Front Street 908 N. W. ALexander Street Right across from the livery stable, Cushen Ford, When you got off the boat, you came to one of the one of the island's first auto dealerships and state's oldest hotels, first opened in 1870 by garages, opened in 1925. In the 1930s-40s, Frances Alexander Fay, the widow of the pioneer, Whidbey Dairy Products was housed here, John Alexander. The attractive, substantial followed by a grocery store and then a part of building had numerous names over the years, Lindsay's Marina once located across the street. including the State, the Pioneer, and the Starwana. The building is actually concrete, and once had It was still operating, as the Blockhouse Inn, when large display windows, typical of an auto show- it burned down in 1968. The historical museum room. The windows were filled in and wood was built on the site in 1989. cladding added when it was transformed into a mini-mall in 1974. 3. Alexander Blockhouse (1855) 908 N. W. ALexander Street 7. Terry's Dryer/Gillespie's Livery Next to the museum is the log blockhouse built by Stable (1897) John Alexander in1855 as protection against a 22 N. W. Front Street possible Indian skirmish. Originally located The Coupeville Mill first stood on this site, but in nearby, it was moved here in the 1930s. A display 1897 this structure was erected to capitalize on the of Indian canoes and a cross erected for a Klondike gold rush. Charles Terry had a large missionary's visit in 1840 were added later. The orchard and hired local women to dry prunes for blockhouse contains a historical photo exhibit. shipment to Alaskan miners. Potatoes and onions were also processed. In 1908, Carl and Laurin Gillespie, sons of the butcher next door, opened a livery stable here, renting out horses and later cars. There's a second-floor opening to the hayloft. In the 1950s it became Lindsay's Marina. .. ,.•.... ... 8. Island County Abstract Office (1890) _ -..........•,• -J'\. ••..• _" 21 N. W. Front Street 4. Gillespie Meat Market (1887) Coupeville became the county seat in 1881, 24 N. W. Front Street bringing numerous travelers on legal business. Many of the early businesses focused on court- This tiny building first housed a meat market house activities, including several law offices and owned by James Gillespie. In the rear is a stairway the abstract office, where property title documents descending to the beach. were prepared. This building is a good example of 5. Front Street the simple unadorned wooden structures that are common to Coupeville's business district. It was From this vantage point, Front Street looks much once a meat market, located farther east on Front th as it did in the early 20 century (except for the Street, and was moved here in the early 1900s. paving and the number of cars.) This was the center of commerce on the island, where people 9. Island County Times (1906) came to buy groceries, hardware, clothing and 19 N. W. Front Street medicine, to do legal business or to visit a doctor Whidbey Island has had a succession of local or dentist. newspapers. The TiMes began publishing in 1891, and eventually became incorporated into the 14. Central HoteVGood Templars Whidbey News TiMes, which is still published in Hall (Site) Oak Harbor. Southeast corner of N. W. Front Street and Grace Street 10. Judge Lester Still Law Office (1909) 17 N. W. Front Street Two major buildings once stood on this site. The 1884 Central Hotel was a local institution, with a Judge Still was a prominent local official and porch from which patrons could survey all of Front entrepreneur who built the log Whid- Isle Inn. This Street. It was locally famous for its fine wines, inn still exists as the Captain Whidbey Inn, farther liquors and cigars. It was so popular that its bar west of Coupeville on Penn Cove. expanded into the second floor of the neighboring 11. Elkhorn Saloon (1883) building-ironically, the hall of the Good Templars, 15 N. W. Front Street a temperance organization. After the hotel burned, the lot remained vacant for decades until this new Although known as the Elkhorn Saloon, this was a building was constructed in 2000. Due to design saloon only briefly. For many years it was a drug guidelines in the historic district, the new building store and doctor's office and, later, the area's first was desizbned to look like several smaller struc- real post office. This was the first false front tures to avoid overwhelming the street with its building built in Coupeville, in 1883. A tall facade size. The new building uses historical features was added to a simple wooden building to make it found on surrounding buildings, such as horizontal look larger and grander. The style remained siding, double-hung windows, false fronts and popular here for many years, making it difficult to traditional storefront designs. tell newer buildings from the older ones. 15. Blowers & Kineth Store (1886) 12. Benson Confectionery (1916) Coupeville Cash Store 16 N. W. Front Street 12 N. W. Front Street Sam and Nellie Benson originally had a candy and This was once the largest general store in gift shop on the first floor and lived upstairs. A Coupeville, selling everything from groceries and variety of businesses, including a liquor store, dry goods to mowing machines. A wagon shop and have occupied the store since then. Like many blacksmith occupied the lower level. It remained a buildings on Front Street, the concrete foundation grocery store for more than sixty years, and was was added later, in the 1970s. then a pharmacy until 1959, when it became an 13. Post Office (1938) antique store. 11 N. W. Front Street 16. John Robertson's Store (1866) This small building was built in 1938 as the ION. W. Front Street second post office, which it remained until 1956. It John Robertson was one of Coupeville's first is a concrete block structure, originally a good entrepreneurs, owning six buildings in this block. example of simple Moderne design popular in the He purchased a portion of the John Alexander 1930s. It was clad in wood siding for the movie claim in 1860. This is one of the earliest buildings PracticaL Magic in 1999.

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