Historic Langley

Circa 1910: Property owned by Fred Funk

Circa 1916. A shed to house wagons was part of the Funk business (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society).

Fred Funk and his family came to Langley in 1910. Fred ran the Funk Mercantile on Anthes Avenue. As the first automobiles began appearing in Langley, he installed Langley's first gas pumps and underground tanks in the alley next to his Mercantile in May, 1915.

In 1919, Elmer Clark remodeled Fred Funk's open shed into an auto repair shop and garage to be operated by a Mr. Stafford.

Circa 1928. Looking South along Anthes Avenue from First Street (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society).

Fred's brother, Chris, joined him and they ran a transfer company in the 1920's. The Mercantile building became the headquarters for the Funk's "Whidby Island Transfer Company."

Langley's first "fire engine," a Ford truck with two chemical tanks and a hose, was purchased in 1922 and stored in a small building behind the garage.

The garage was purchased by Leslie Hensley in 1928. He transformed it into a barbershop and lunch counter. In addition to cutting hair, he also provided shower facilities in the back for loggers and others. He paid his young daughter Betty $9.00 to cut large bars of soap into small ones and to make sure clean towels were available. There was also a pool table and poker table in the back. He leased the bar to a man called 'Red.'

According to Betty, "the building burned to the ground in a severe windstorm in 1934. The wind apparently broke some wires and a fire started in the rafters and spread quickly. They managed to save the barber chair with marble arms. Dewy Hoekstra rented half of the building and was going to sell lumber. He had just had a load put in that week. He was in Oak Harbor that night it burned - didn't know it until he drove around the corner of the bank and saw it. Neither my father nor Dewey had insurance." Leslie left Langley and his family soon after the fire.

1939: Dettrich Barbershop and Beauty Parlor.

1939. Newspaper ad for Dettrich Barber Shop and Beauty Parlor (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society).

The lot remained empty until 1939 when Julius Dettrich built a barbershop and beauty parlor there. As the November 11, 1939 ad intimates, "South Whidby (sic) is well known for its smart and beautiful women. We have everything to make you well groomed and delightfully charming." Who could resist?

In 1940, an ophthalmologist used the building for a time "Every 1st and 4th Wednesday."

Next, Donald Purdy, MD had his office in the building. Following his internship in California, Dr. Purdy agreed to take a locum tenens position in Langley, Washington. According to his obituary, when the physician he had replaced decided not to return, Doctor Purdy remained. At times, he was the only doctor serving residents of Whidbey Island between 1954 and 1976.

When he arrived, South Whidbey had a population of 4,000, and babies were born either in his small office in Langley (one by lantern light, because of a power failure, his family said), or after a ferry ride to an Everett hospital. There was no hospital on Whidbey until 1968, so house calls were common. Wounds and broken bones were stitched and set in his office or out behind the barn where the injury occurred. He made house calls at all times of the night, searching for mail boxes hidden among the thick firs on dirt roads with a spotlight he had mounted on his car.

According to Jim Porter, the Porter Insurance office moved into the building for a brief time in the mid 1960's after a car rammed their building across the street. The insurance company returned to their building next to Good Cheer after the structure was repaired.

Doctor Purdy built the Langley Clinic on Second Street in 1969 and moved there.

Circa 1972. Watson Towers (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society).

Bob Sabatini owned 111 Anthes from 1971 to 1980. During that time, Marilyn Dworkin and Lara McClintock started the dress shop Patchwork Peasants in the building.

After Doctor Purdy moved, South Island Realty and Dr. Purdy's wife Gwen had an art studio and a meditation room called "Gewn's Den" briefly shared the building. Terry McCabe’s hair salon was also in the building.

Then, lawyers John Watson and Jacqueline ("Jackie") Shaffer, and Rick Capps' "Mug and Brush" barbershop, moved in. The Watson Towers sign was a tongue in cheek gift from John's wife.

According to Marcia Comer who was a legal secretary in Watson Towers, "John Watson had the office upstairs. His wife, Joan, was the bookkeeper and had the small back office. Jackie Shafer had her office in the larger back space. Sally Thompson and I shared the job answering phones. Paul Samuelson had his barber shop in the space on the other front side of the building."

Paul Samuelson later replaced the Mug and Brush with his barbershop, then later moved his barbershop to the corner of Second Street and Anthes Avenue.

1975: Nancy Donnelly’s photographic studio

From 1975 to 1978 Nancy Donnelly had a photographic studio in a shed behind the "Watson Towers" building.

Circa 1969. Shed behind the "Watson Towers" building (white arrow) (Courtesy South Whidbey Historical Society).

The date of construction of the shed is not known, but may have been built in the 1920’s by Fred Funk as a part of his Mercantile and Transfer company.

According to Nancy Donnelly, "It must have been early in 1975 that I arranged to use the shed behind John Watson's offices. It was kind of a wreck, but free if I could make it work.

There were 4 spaces inside the building: an entry north side with a light lock to keep daylight out of the darkroom, the darkroom proper in the middle of the building, then along the south side a tiny windowless office and an even tinier room like a closet to load film into light-proof canisters for development.

The largest space was the darkroom proper. The east wall had a desk-high counter divided into three places for three enlargers. The tray run extended into the room from the west wall. Below the tray run was a shelf, and above the tray run, a narrower shelf.

I had a radio. Often I worked at night, listening to music on KRAB which at that time played mainly world music. Friday night was flamenco, I remember, a great accompaniment to my work life. From time to time other people worked in there too, and I taught children now and then. It was all great fun."

The Watson Towers building was painted white and awnings added for filming the Dixie Lanes movie in 1986.

1986. Painted white with vintage vehicles in front (Courtesy Ron Lind).

Attorney Carolyn Cliff had an office there from 1988 to 2010. She was appointed to succeed Larry Shafer as Municipal Judge by Mayor Lloyd Furman in December, 2001. "I started renting when John Watson was still practicing there, continued in a different place in the building after Don and Kathleen Miller bought it as the site for their Blackfish Gallerio, then moved to a different location in Langley after the Millers sold the building. Attorney Alice Blanchard started subleasing space from me while we were still in that building."

2007. Blackfish Gallerio (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

Knitty Purls Yarn Shop replaced Blackfish Gallerio.

2009.Knitty Purls Courtesy (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

When Knitty Purls moved to First Street in 2014, Act II moved in to the left side. A Tea shop and "It's Raining Art Supplies" briefly occupied the right side before Diana Settlemyer opened Chops barbershop and beauty parlor there in 2017.

2017. Act II and Chops (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

Whidbey Art Escape, a ceramic painting workshop, replaced ACT II Books and Puppets in 2019. Carol Evans purchased the business in Freeland and moved it to Langley.

2019. Whidbey Art Escape (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

The Whidbey Art Escape closed in 2020.

2021. Naomi and Newton Kellogg opened Ulysses Coffee in the space vacated by Whidbey Art Escape.

2021. Ulysses Coffee (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

2022: The front façade was damaged in a windstorm.

2022. Cracked façade (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

2023. The façade was replaced and painted (Courtesy Robert Waterman).

2023: Salty Sea Coffee replaced Ulysses Coffee and Whidbey Pies replaced Chops.