Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Reading the Cultural Landscape

PRESERVATION PRINCIPLES

San de Fuca Uplands

Location and Access

Located along the northernmost portion of the reserve, the San de Fuca Uplands are bounded by Penn Cove to the south and east, the Coastal Strip along the west and the reserve boundary on the north.

San de Fuca is characterized by the sweep of land up from Penn Cove which levels out to agricultural land broken by woodlots and residential subdivisions Primary access is along Highway 20, which slices through from north to south, and Scenic Heights Road which follows Penn Cove around the edge of the uplands.

Old San de Fuca School (1903) on Zylstra Road.

Significance and Integrity

Archeological evidence suggests the Skagit Indians used portions of the upland areas bordering Penn Cove for cultivating and harvesting camus, fern and nettle.

White settlement began in 1850 when ten donation land claims were made in the uplands. Early land use patterns focused around the natural harbor of Penn Cove, and development of agriculture on the uplands. Although good soils existed in the uplands, large portions of the area were densely-wooded and many settlers turned their lands into less intensive agricultural crops and pasture areas. These patterns remain in several areas and are evidenced in a number of small cultivated lots and pasture lands between woodland stands.

Associated with the period of community development on the reserve, the town of San de Fuca was platted in the 1880s. Although the town did not survive into the twentieth century, the name did, and several of the seventeen historically significant buildings in the uplands are located in and around the town site.

Although several areas of the San de Fuca Uplands are still in agriculture, three newer residential subdivisions have significantly altered historic land use patterns and limited overall historic landscape integrity.

This barn (1918) is part of the Arnold farm complex overlooking Penn Cove in San de Fuca.

Preservation Principles

Preservation principles for the San de Fuca Uplands encourage protection and maintenance of remaining significant and historic landscape patterns and features.

1. In order to preserve historic landscape patterns and visual quality in the uplands, maintain existing rural residential-agriculture land use designations and all significant historic structures.

2. Limit further intrusions on agricultural land by encouraging new residential development to occur within existing subdivisions.

3. In order to support visual quality in the area, any new structures should be carefully sited along the edges of open areas and sensitive in design, scale, mass, color and material to surrounding areas (see Design Considerations for Historic Properties, 1984).

4. Maintain existing hedgerows throughout the area as natural and cultural resources.