Coupeville Historic Waterfront
| Virtual Tour Coupeville Historic Waterfront |
| Much
of the tour information contained here is with permission and courtesy of
the Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. For a copy of the extensive
National Park Service walking tour pamphlet, please click here.  |
|
| Much
of the tour information contained here is with permission and courtesy of
the Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. For a copy of the National
Park Service walking tour pamphlet, please click here.  |
We
begin
the tour at the corner of Alexander and Front Streets, walking east along
the waterfront. |
| At low tide during early spring and summer, look for the large numbers of starfish which can be seen at the foot of the wharf pilings, eating the numerous mussels. Watch for the seagulls and crows dropping mussels on the wharf and roadways of Coupeville to crack their hard shells, then feasting on the delicous meat. Seals, otters, kingfishers and eagles are frequently visible nearby as well.
The skeleton of Rosie the gray whale and a dahl porpoise are on display in the wharf foyer. |
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| Long's
Cafe, located on the wharf, provides excellent oriental and American cuisine.
Also, The Harbor Store carries gifts and novelties. |
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The Salmon Wheel, located at the foot of the Coupeville Wharf. Carved by Coupeville native Roger Purdue, it is a popular stop for photographs and kids. |
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4.
Gillespie Meat Market (1887) 24 N. W. Front Street This tiny building first
housed a meat market owned by James Gillespie. In the rear is a stairway
descending to the beach, and the Port of Coupeville business office. Now occupied by Collections, |
| 5.
Front Street From this vantage point, Front Street looks much as it did
in the early 20th century (except for the paving and the number of cars.)
This was the center of commerce on the island, where people came to buy
groceries, hardware, clothing and medicine, to do legal business or to visit
a doctor or dentist. |
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7.
Terry’s Dryer/Gillespie’s Livery Stable (1897) 22 N. W. Front
Street |
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12.
Benson Confectionery (1916) 16 N. W. Front Street Sam and Nellie Benson
originally had a candy and gift shop on the first floor and lived upstairs.
A variety of businesses, including a liquor store, have occupied the store
since then. Like many buildings on Front Street, the concrete foundation
was added later, in the 1970s. |
| Millie's Building Image | 15.
Blowers & Kineth Store (1886) Coupeville Cash Store 12 N. W. Front Street
This was once the largest general store in Coupeville, selling everything
from groceries and dry goods to mowing machines. A wagon shop and blacksmith
occupied the lower level. It remained a grocery store for more than sixty years, and was then a pharmacy until 1959, when it became an antique store. |
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16.
John Robertson’s Store (1866) 10 N. W. Front Street John Robertson
was one of Coupeville’s first entrepreneurs, owning six buildings
in this block. He purchased a portion of the John Alexander claim in 1860. This is one of the earliest buildings on the street, built in 1866. It originally had a simple gable roof, with the false front added later. An adjacent wharf was built in 1883. |
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18.
Whidbey Mercantile Company (c. 1875) Whidbey Cash and Carry 8 N. W. Front
Street The name of this store derives from the fact that it was common at
one time for stores to have customer accounts and to deliver purchases.
Here, savings could be had for “cash and carry.” This is another structure built for John Robertson, with a false front added later. On the rear is a large door on the second floor, where boats could unload directly into the store at high tide; there was a scale on the sidewalk in front to weigh goods being shipped. About 1930, a lean-to on the west end was enclosed and used as a gas station, with gasoline pumps right at the sidewalk. The eastern section remained a store. It has been a tavern since 1938. |
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19.
Wooden Sidewalk and Deck Coupeville was incorporated as a town in 1910,
with 321 people. This spot marks the location of the first town offices
and library, which were demolished in 1959 after becoming very unsafe. Coupeville’s early sidewalks were made of wood like this one. They extended along much of Front Street, through some residential areas and out Main Street as far as the church at the top of the hill. The walkways kept people out of the mud, but they were very slippery and caused endless maintenance problems. Concrete sidewalks replaced them in the 1950s. |
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22.
Sedge Building (1871) 4 N. W. Front Street This building was also constructed for John Robertson. Its east side is exactly on the line between the Coupe and Alexander land claims. One of the early owners of this store was an undertaker, who reportedly found the town to be so healthy that there was little call for his services and he opened a home furnishings store. The small addition to the east housed the town’s first telephone exchange from 1900 until 1930. At one time, a Chinese laundry occupied the lower level. Central Whidbey had a number of Chinese residents, who had come through the immigration station at Port Townsend. Some were tenant farmers renting land on the prairies, while others worked for local farmers. Although often treated like unwelcome outsiders, they made a significant contribution to the island’s early economic development. |
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23.
Puget Race Drugstore (1890) 2 N. W. Front Street At
this point, we'll cross the street and walk back west. |
