Island County Historical Society - Museum and Archives

Island County Historical Society - Museum and Archives The Island County Historical Society Museum and Janet Enzmann Archives and Research Library are located in Coupeville, WA on Whidbey Island.

We are a free museum open year-round and offer tours and access to our research facilities by appointment. The Janet Enzmann Archives and Research Library has an extensive collection of Island County, WA history. Materials entrusted to our care span hundreds of year and include photographs, newspapers, journals, maps and oral histories. Our team is currently working on improvements and updates to

our collections. Our team of volunteers and archivists strive to be good stewards of history and to provide the public with access to their history. This page has been created to keep you up to date on the happenings of the archives. We hope to provide interesting and insightful information on our archives and our history. We welcome students, scholars, and those interested in history to come and explore this amazing resource. Please call, email or message us to make an appointment. We also encourage questions, comments and requests. If you are interested in purchasing copies of any of the photographs or documents we post, please send us a private message or email.

Happy Labor Day! The museum is open 10 AM - 4 PM today!
09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day! The museum is open 10 AM - 4 PM today!

It's National Read a Book Day! Reading improves memory and concentration; it also reduces stress. Books are inexpensive ...
09/06/2026

It's National Read a Book Day! Reading improves memory and concentration; it also reduces stress. Books are inexpensive entertainment, educational tools, and a time machine too!

Image description: A 1928 sepia-toned photograph of Harold Eugene Kellogg, in a suit, sitting in a parlor room reading a book. The room contains a piano, a rug, a bookshelf, a floor lamp, and framed paintings on the walls.
ICHS Janet Enzmann Archives, 2015.074.226

Happy National Wildlife Day! This day highlights endangered species, preservation, and conservation efforts. Get involve...
09/04/2026

Happy National Wildlife Day! This day highlights endangered species, preservation, and conservation efforts. Get involved at a local conservation organization or visit our Native Species exhibit to celebrate!

Image description: A bald eagle flying low above a body of water.
ICHS Janet Enzmann Archives, M. Denis Hill Collection, 2016.169.518.

To purchase images from the M. Denis Hill Collection, contact our archivist, Clara Burns, at [email protected].

Lee James is putting a new spin on our Labor Day Sunnyside Cemetery tour. Join us Sept 7th at 1PM to learn more about S...
09/02/2026

Lee James is putting a new spin on our Labor Day Sunnyside Cemetery tour. Join us Sept 7th at 1PM to learn more about Sunnyside's "Firsts". Bring your family or a random tourist to learn more about the amazing history of Whidbey. $5 suggested donation.

It's V-J (Victory over J*pan) Day! Officials announced J*pan's surrender on August 15, 1945. However, J*pan formally sig...
09/02/2026

It's V-J (Victory over J*pan) Day! Officials announced J*pan's surrender on August 15, 1945. However, J*pan formally signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. At that time, President Truman declared September 2 to be the official V-J Day.

The term "J*p," the English abbreviation for J*panese, is offensive to J*panese Americans because of the racist propaganda attacks and the internment they endured during World War II.

To learn more about J*panese Internment and American history, visit our America 250: Moments That Made Us exhibit.

Image description: Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper from August 15, 1945. The headline reads: "President Announces: J*p Nation Surrenders."
ICHS Janet Enzmann Archives, Newspaper Collection

Join us for our first America 250 Series with Michael Ferri, our wonderful ICHS Vice President! See you on September 12t...
09/02/2026

Join us for our first America 250 Series with Michael Ferri, our wonderful ICHS Vice President!

See you on September 12th @ 1 PM at the Coupeville United Methodist Church!!

Learn more about ICHS at our website: www.islandhistory.org.

Welcome back, South Whidbey students! This 1940s postcard features the old Langley High School. The Island County Histor...
09/02/2026

Welcome back, South Whidbey students! This 1940s postcard features the old Langley High School. The Island County Historical Society wishes you a wonderful, safe, and educational school year!

Image description: A 1940s sepia-toned postcard of Langley High School - a rectangular brick, two-story building.

Welcome back, Oak Harbor students! Don't you wish you were taking these to school? These buses were used in the late 192...
09/01/2026

Welcome back, Oak Harbor students! Don't you wish you were taking these to school? These buses were used in the late 1920s for Oak Harbor schools. The Island County Historical Society wishes you a wonderful, safe, and educational school year!

Image description: Several 1929 Oak Harbor school buses. These 1920s buses featured the classic narrow hood, round headlights, and bicycle-style wheels. The passenger framework is primarily wood with small, narrow cut-outs for airflow.

Did you know - the Coupeville Water Festival used to be held in August? The festival was discontinued during World War I...
08/29/2026

Did you know - the Coupeville Water Festival used to be held in August? The festival was discontinued during World War II, but in 1992, the Penn Cove Water Festival was revived. Indigenous paddlers from Washington and British Columbia race through Penn Cove in hand-carved canoes. Front Street in Coupeville is filled with Indigenous artists and musicians.

What began as a way to draw more people to Whidbey Island has become an annual cultural event hosted every May. For more information on the Penn Cove Water Festival, visit our Native People, Native Places exhibit. Don't forget to check out the racing canoes on display outside the museum!
Penn Cove Water Festival Association

Image description: A sepia-toned photograph featuring a long, 11-person canoe filled with 11 paddlers on Penn Cove. Onlookers watch from the shore and from boats in the water.
ICHS Janet Enzmann Archives, Penn Cove Water Festival Collection, 2017.042.046a

It's our final Porch Story of the summer today! Pamela Seamonster is here to share some Indigenous stories! Grab some ic...
08/26/2026

It's our final Porch Story of the summer today! Pamela Seamonster is here to share some Indigenous stories! Grab some ice cream and enjoy one last day on the porch!

Porch Stories are held June through August, Wednesdays at 2PM on the museum's front porch.

Address

908 NW Alexander Street PO BOX 305
Coupeville, WA
98239

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

Telephone

+13606783310

Website

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