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TOUR EBEY'S FERRY HOUSE ON MAY 2

Mar 10, 2010
          
  
Experience the Ferry House on Ebey's Prairie - Sunday, May 2 
 
For one afternoon, the historic Ferry House on Ebey’s Prairie will open for tours, exploration and a step back in time. On Sunday, May 2nd from Noon-3pm, a Ferry House reception will celebrate one of Washington State’s oldest buildings through food, music, stories, costume and personal tours.  
 
This event, along with food and activities, is free to the public and hosted by the Trust Board of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve.      Ferry House History     The Ferry House was built to provide a second chance to a family and land with a tragic past. The Ebey family followed Isaac Ebey - their son, brother, husband and father - to Whidbey Island in the mid 1800s with promises of bountiful soil and a better life. Not long after his family arrived, Isaac was murdered, leaving his family with a headless corpse and deep sorrow. Needing to move on in life, and unable to face memories from the original homestead, Isaac’s brother, Winfield Ebey built the Ferry House to serve as an Inn for travelers, and provide income for Isaac’s three orphaned children. The Ferry House was built using materials from Isaac’s original house and was complete in 1860. Located at the original Port Townsand / Whidbey Island Ferry site, the Ferry House was owned by the Ebey family and operated as a boarding house for over sixty years.        One of the oldest buildings in Washington State, the Ferry House is an excellent monument to pioneer fortitude. It has never been altered by electricity or plumbing, and maintains integrity of location, setting, design, materials and workmanship. In addition, with surrounding land in active farming and protected forever from development, this highly visible cultural icon will continue to remind people of the settlement of Puget Sound and endurance of humankind. Its list of owners includes the Ebey Family, the Pratt Family, The Nature Conservancy, and currently the National Park Service. The house is in need of structural enhancement for stability; replacing a historic porch on the front of the building would secure the building for years to come.