Coupeville, tucked in Penn Cove on the eastern side of Whidbey Island, was first platted in 1883 and despite its small size retains a large number of historic buildings. Over thirty, in fact, date to the Territorial Era (1850-1875). Coupeville is within Ebey’s Landing, the first National Historical Reserve in the nation. Whidbey is one of my favorite weekend destinations (see here, here, and here), and I never tire of strolling through Coupeville or stopping through Deception Pass State Park. This trip I took advantage of the quiet streets and gray skies, and took some snaps of my favorite buildings.
If you’re making the trip (or just want to know a little more about Coupeville), be sure to check out the Self-GuidedWalking Tour brochure, online here.
The John and Jane Kinneth House (1887)
Gothic Revival (1870)
James and Katurah Coupe Gillespie House (1891)
Alvah and Mary Blowers House (1874)
Ernest and Nellie Lovejoy Watson House (1886)
The Jacob and Berthe Jenne House (1889). This and the pink Italianate (top) were both built by H. B. Lovejoy. Definitely two peas in a pod!
View back towards Coupeville from the pier.
Susie Trexler 
If I lived here, I wonder how long it would be before I stopped being overcome by how lovely these homes are, and just considered them to be normal. Months, I’m sure!
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Agreed. Though I bet every time they leave the island they realize how lucky they are!
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Ooooooooh, ahhhhhh….can’t get enough of these……..how in the world did these houses survive? I must read up on the history of the area (preferably in a blog post that you will do???? smile.)
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Aren’t these great?! Definitely would be a good topic to dig into. Thanks to its location in Ebey’s Landing, there seems to be a good amount of literature about Coupeville and environs.
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[…] Susie Trexler toured Washington State’s Whidbey Island with her camera and captured a number of drop-dead gorgeous homes in the little village of Coupeville. Read Coupeville: Whidbey Island’s History Through Architecture […]
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Beautiful homes, great lines and well photographed!
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Thanks so much! Whidbey is gorgeous–fun to photograph!
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Do you know the architectural name of the Blowers house in Coupeville? Is it Gothic Revival or Carpenter Gothic or??? Thanks 🙂 Beautiful pictures!
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I would say it’s a Washington vernacular house with Greek Revival influences (namely, the door with sidelights/transom and the front facing gable end). And thanks, love Coupeville! 😊
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[…] had housing in eastern-USA styles such as ornate Victorians with highly decorative exteriors. Coupeville on Whidbey Island is a Pacific Northwest example of a place which was populated by Maine lumbermen and Massachusetts […]
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[…] 4. One of my favorite places to explore from Seattle is the islands of Puget Sound. One of them? Whidbey Island. I compiled a little photo essay, Coupeville: Whidbey Island’s History Through Architecture. […]
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[…] the beaches and the boats (I’ve been hooked on ferries since living in Seattle–hello Whidbey and Orcas Island!) but I was amazed by the architecture. Sure, there are extravagant houses. This […]
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