This article looks at the oldest standing building ever occupied as a courthouse in Washington.

On Whidbey Island, Coupeville is one of Washington’s oldest towns, and is named for a sea captain, Thomas Coupe. The island is home to Fort Casey, Fort Ebey, and the Naval Air Station. Originally all of Island County was part of Thurston County.  When carved out of Thurston County in 1852, Island County included Island, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan Counties, with the county seat located at Ebey’s Landing on Admiralty Inlet. Now, Island County is the second-smallest county in the state.

Isaac Ebey settled on Whidbey Island to take advantage of the Oregon Donation Land Claims Act. The Act allowed settlers to claim Indigenous land without compensation to the local Coast Salish indigenous people who had occupied the land for centuries.  Once established, Ebey became involved in territorial politics and farming. He was elected Colonel of the Territorial Militia of Island and Jefferson Counties and was also appointed Customs Collector for Washington. The local tribes ceded ownership of the land to the U.S. government, under duress in the Treaty of Point Elliot in 1855, but kept rights to harvest natural resources.

In 1856, residents of Puget Sound feared raids by the Tlingit warriors from Alaska who had canoed to the Salish sea. In the Battle of Port Gamble, the U.S. military from the USS Massachusetts attacked the Tlingits at their encampment, killing more than two dozen, including their leader. After regrouping, in Alaska, more than 100 Tlingits returned to Whidbey Island to avenge the death of their chief. Ebey appeared to be an equivalent leader, so the Tlingits executed him.