Thomas John Johns and Mary Jane Johns
Thomas John Johns arrived as a 19-year-old on South Whidbey in 1859, shortly after Ed Oliver, but a little before William Johnson.He was born New Year’s Eve 1840 in Plymouth, England, the son of a British sea captain. Young ‘Tommy’ as he was called, became...
Austin ‘Deke’ Marshall
In 1937, Austin Marshall opened “Austin’s Store in Freeland. It was located along the highway and is more recently remembered as the Gay 90’s pizzeria.“Deke” was born in Langley in 1894 and died in Freeland in 1974. When asked why friends called him...
The Primavera Family
Joseph Primavera was born in Bologna, Italy and came to Seattle in 1899 where he owned and operated a saloon. Ten years prior, Victor’s mother, Martina had left Italy, to come to Seattle to work in her aunt’s boarding house.Joseph and Martina met, fell in...
Leon and Marie Burley in a 1981 interview about life on South Whidbey
If you want to know what life was like on South Whidbey in the 1920s and '30s, then watch this excerpt of an interview that Bill Steiner did in 1981 of his neighbors, Leon and Marie Burley, of Maxwelton. Leon's parents moved from Nebraska to the Ravenna...
Warren Farmer remembered…
Warren was honored as a tribal elder by the S’Kallam tribe. His family roots go back to the earliest written history of Whidbey Island.His great-grandmother, Emily Lowe Madsen, was a full S’Klallam tribal member from Sequim. She was married to Christian...
Ma Baker and Baker’s Corner Store
As South Whidbey developed, small stores and mercantiles dotted the coastline at Langley, Bush Point, old Clinton, Possession Point, Glendale, Maxwelton, Holmes Harbor and Austin (off Mutiny Bay). Later, as roads were developed, additional stores...
Julia Mackie
Think you have a tough commute? Consider the weekly one Miss Julia Mackie had in 1914.After graduating high school in Everett, Julia was hired as a teacher in a logging camp near present day Honeymoon Bay.It was a large Pope and Talbot logging camp (later...
Omer Porter
Found this fascinating article in our archives about Omer Porter, which was written by John Watkins and which appeared in the South Whidbey Record on October 7, 1980. It gives a glimpse into what life was like on South Whidbey around the turn of the last century....
Chief William Shelton: A Bridge Between Two Worlds
South Whidbey Record ran a front-page article on the story pole at the Fairgrounds that was carved by the last hereditary chief of the Snohomish Tribe, William Shelton, who was born on South Whidbey and spent his childhood here. William Shelton was featured on the...
Tommy Double’s Caramels Recipe..
Looking for a homemade Christmas candy recipe? You may want to make this recipe (below) for caramels by one of South Whidbey Good Cheer's founders, Hanna "Tommy" Double. The recipe is from the original Good Cheer cookbook produced in the 1960's as a fundraiser. Tommy...