Coupeville Wharf Celebrates 120 Years

Endangered to EndurinG

by Lea Cramer  • Photos by Dave Meyer

It rises resolutely from the rippling waters of Penn Cove—a vision of weathered wood and quiet resilience. The Coupeville Wharf, built in 1905, stands as both a literal and symbolic tether to the past—a bridge between Whidbey Island’s maritime history and the constant flux of its present. This year marks Coupeville Wharf’s 120th anniversary, and the community is invited to a historic anniversary party on Saturday, July 19th.

The milestone will be celebrated in commemoration and active preservation of this aquatic sentinel, ensuring this icon endures against tide, time, and today’s demands.

Just as it would have in the early 1900s, the mist still rolls off Penn Cove, fingering the bleached timbers of Coupeville Wharf, a reminder of this landmark’s past. These stalwart supports have borne witness to a history brimming with tradition—the fishermen and farmers, whose faces were etched with the lines of hard labor and

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