Last summer, the solar eclipse of 2017 was a HUGE event — and libraries stood at the epicenter. Eclipse glasses were sold out in stores, online, and pretty much everywhere. As a result, the small stash of glasses we saved at the Washington State Library to hand out on eclipse day became a truly hot commodity. Some people even camped out in their cars to be first in line for glasses! Our eclipse event was a smashing success. Upon seeing…
The second Library Jewel for May is a collection of correspondence, records and a journal of one of Seattle’s first settlers. On Nov. 13, 1851, Captain Robert Colburn Fay was among the first settlers to land at Alki Point in what is now West Seattle. Fay remained in the Puget Sound area for another two decades, meeting with chiefs of various tribes to discuss treaties. Fay spent his last few years living in Coupeville before he died in 1872….
Taking his final tour of the northwestern part of our state, Secretary of State Reed is visiting Coupeville, the Island County seat located in the central part of beautiful Whidbey Island. Reed chatted with Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider and staff at the Island County Courthouse, and took a tour of the Island County Historical Society Museum. Later this afternoon, Reed will travel to Bellingham. Below is a picture of the Coupeville wharf on this fine, if cool, June-uary morning.
Located along picturesque Penn Cove on the northern half of Whidbey Island, Coupeville is a small, charming town of about 1,900 people that draws many tourists and visitors who step foot on Washington’s largest island and one of the largest islands in the lower 48 states. Coupeville is a great place to watch the annual Whidbey Island Race Week sailing competition (pictured below) in July. So how did the Island County seat acquire its name? Penn Cove was settled by…