A visit to the Island County Historical Museum in Coupeville is a must. With its prime waterfront location, overlooking the iconic wharf and flanked by an 1855 blockhouse, you’re surrounded by history before you’ve even stepped inside. This beautifully curated museum is free of charge, though donations are always gratefully accepted. 

Discover the rich layers of history in Island County, all the way from the formation of the islands themselves over glacial periods going back several millennia. See for yourself the bones and teeth of prehistoric mammoths who once roamed these parts. Imagine thousands of years of uninterrupted indigenous culture before the shocking arrival of colonists. The museum houses a particularly beautiful collection of traditional dugout canoes, including one of the oldest examples in existence of an ocean-going family canoe. Don’t miss the exquisite artistic tribute Four Seasons of Water, created over 13 years and featuring over two million tiny seed beads.

See the first car on Whidbey and try to picture it traversing from the Captain Whidbey Inn to downtown, way back in the earliest 1900s. Learn about the first pioneer families making land claims and establishing farms; some of which are still in operation today. Immerse yourself in the maritime and logging history of the region, or discover the changing seasonal exhibts.

Numerous interpretive programs and opportunities are offered onsite and via outreach programming, for all ages. Special events for adults, families, and children take place year-round.

Additionally, ICHS maintains the Janet Enzmann Archives. The Archives cares for over 20,000 photographic images with direct Island County significance, as well as family bibles and pioneer journals, maps, newspapers, and many other historical documents.