Island County Historical Society - Museum and Archives

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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.

10/13/2026

To honor the tenacious Joan Peters, former ICHS Archivist, the ICHS Research Library was dedicated in her name at our recent annual auction.

Familiar faces from Joan's past as ICHS Archivist can be seen in this video, where they speak on the significant impact Joan has had on the Island County Historical Society Museum.

Here's to you, Joan! 🥂🎉

* HAPPENING TOMORROW, 10/14! *What did the ancestors of Island County’s earliest pioneers contribute to the War of Indep...
10/13/2026

* HAPPENING TOMORROW, 10/14! *

What did the ancestors of Island County’s earliest pioneers contribute to the War of Independence?
Join local historians Lee James and Dan McCone for a look at their surprising discoveries about pioneers buried at Sunnyside Cemetery and their connections to Revolutionary War heroes on the East Coast.
The talk will include stories of everyday hardship, illness, and family responsibilities, as well as service at Valley Forge and under the Marquis de Lafayette. The presenters will also discuss how they uncovered this information.
Audience participation is encouraged!
Bring your own family stories and connections to the Revolutionary era.
See you at the Rec Hall in Coupeville @ 1 PM - Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.
Programming is free.

Want to know more about local residents and their contributions to Whidbey Island? Check out Front Street, Coupeville - ...
10/13/2026

Want to know more about local residents and their contributions to Whidbey Island? Check out Front Street, Coupeville - an e-book filled with oral histories! All proceeds go to the Island County Historical Society.

Local historian and long-time resident Judy Lynn has collected 101 oral interviews of Coupeville’s Front Street merchants, building owners and local residents. These interviews weave together the colorful history of one of Washington’s oldest settlements. The interviews cover the happy, sad, cra...

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day from the Island County Historical Society! Our museum is open today, 10 AM - 4 PM! Image de...
10/12/2026

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day from the Island County Historical Society! Our museum is open today, 10 AM - 4 PM!

Image description: Photograph of Harriet Shelton, daughter of Chief William Shelton, performing a dance at the Penn Cove Water Festival, c. 1930s. The woman is wearing "traditional" regalia and is holding two feathers aloft, possibly from an eagle, owl, or hawk. She is encircled by seated and standing Indigenous peoples (including children), some of whom are drumming.

What did the ancestors of Island County’s earliest pioneers contribute to the War of Independence?Join local historians ...
10/07/2026

What did the ancestors of Island County’s earliest pioneers contribute to the War of Independence?
Join local historians Lee James and Dan McCone for a look at their surprising discoveries about pioneers buried at Sunnyside Cemetery and their connections to Revolutionary War heroes on the East Coast.
The talk will include stories of everyday hardship, illness, and family responsibilities, as well as service at Valley Forge and under the Marquis de Lafayette. The presenters will also discuss how they uncovered this information.
Audience participation is encouraged!
Bring your own family stories and connections to the Revolutionary era.
See you at the Rec Hall in Coupeville @ 1 PM - Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.
Programming is free.

We are excited to see that our witches are flying into Coupeville for October (or any other month of the year) and they ...
10/05/2026

We are excited to see that our witches are flying into Coupeville for October (or any other month of the year) and they have our wonderful little museum on their must-see!!

10/01/2026

Purchase your auction tickets by going to this link: https://www.islandhistory.org/2026-auction.

Thank you Prairie Center Prairie Center Red Apple Market, Whidbey Island Bank, Penn Cove Shellfish for being Vision Sponsors this year! And also with great gratitude to Scenic Isle Farm, Edward Jones Jeffery Pleet & Cynthia Casey, The Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington Chapter #6 Whidbey Island & The Spectacled Sasquatch in Coupeville! Plus a round of applause to all of donors!!!

It's almost spooky season! This October, with Practical Magic 2 in theaters, we're sharing our 3-part Practical Magic Be...
09/30/2026

It's almost spooky season! This October, with Practical Magic 2 in theaters, we're sharing our 3-part Practical Magic Behind-the-Scenes Artifact series! Take a look at some never-before-seen photographs.

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

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