A Few South End Log Cabins

Jun 6, 2024

In the March 14, 1930 issue of the Island County Times, an editorial stated that there were 30 existing log cabins between Coupeville and Clinton, and that steps should be taken to preserve them.
 
Fast forward 96 years and our latest SWHS newsletter, “Now and Then” features log cabins on South Whidbey, both present and past. A few others could not be included due to space, so we are including some of them in this post.
 
12 known log cabins, log houses, and a Finnish log sauna still exist on South Whidbey to this day, though two are dismantled.
 
A presentation on local log cabins, with a focus on the Langley Rd. log cabin uncovered last spring, will be held at 3 p.m. this Saturday, June 8 at Langley United Methodist Church.
 
If you wish to join the South Whidbey Historical Society, and would like to become a member, click here: https://southwhidbeyhistoricalsociety.ddock.gives/…
 
If you know of a log cabin or log house or sauna still standing on South Whidbey that we may have missed, please contact Diane Durham at the Museum at 360-221-2101.

Bay View (formerly known as Newell) was the site of three schools. The first was held in a log cookhouse on the Weedin property. The second was this log school pictured about 1900 before the final Bay View School was built on its present site.

South Whidbey had early log schoolhouses in Maxwelton, Clinton, Austin, Langley, Saratoga, and Bay View.

“Log house, Edgecliffe Drive – the home of Harry and Hilda Walters. Two Mayhan sisters with days catch. 1888 or 1889”

Harris “Harry” Walters was a woodcutter who took out a 160 acre homestead on Edgecliffe drive in 1892. Land had to be improved upon for several years prior to being granted a homestead deed. This log house no longer exists, however, there is a smaller hunting cabin dating back to the 1920s or possibly earlier that does still exist.
 

 

This photo from Walter Hunziker, Jr. depicts the 1899/1890 log schoolhouse he attended. “Our schoolhouse was about 18 by 20 feet… 16 or 17 pupils from all grades attended. There were five Hunzikers, five Browns, one Anthes, one Barton, three Cattrons, and one McDonald. Our schoolteacher was a Mr. Beans.”
 
 

 

Nora Hunziker at the site of Langley’s second log schoolhouse situated on the bluff where Healing Circles is now located.
 
 

 

This was the Deer Lake schoolhouse, which was purchased and moved down Cultus Bay Rd. just a little north of French Rd. It was dismantled and moved again and still privately owned.

When Tim and Leslie Jackson had their 1905 farmhouse moved to Greenbank from Sills Rd. in Clinton, they also purchased and dismantled this log cabin which had served as an early post office for the Maxwelton area prior to the dock being built and the Montgomery’s running the post office out of their store. We know that a previous owner had it moved up the bluff from the road where it was once located. We believe it dates to the early 1890s, or possibly earlier and are still doing research.