By PEGGY DARST TOWNSDIN
Special to the Whidbey News-Times

The first town builders of Oak Harbor were Irish.

Captain Edward Barrington, of Irish and English descent, built the first business ever on the harbor by the bay.

After leaving his home in Nova Scotia and traveling around the world by ship, Barrington came to Whidbey Island in 1851. He bought up the donation land claims of both Charles Sumner and Martin Taftezon, thus ending up owning the land and waterfront of Oak Harbor.

Barrington built a store and warehouse, which also included a saloon, as well as a short pier. His business was located on what later was named Barrington Avenue, right on the bay, which at high tide was on the water’s edge.

In 1951, as part of the centennial of the founding of Oak Harbor, a group decided to change the name of Barrington Avenue to Pioneer Way.

There on the beach, Barrington also had a schooner built, which he named the Growler. He married one of the daughters of Irish pioneers Grace and Francis McCrohan, Christina, in 1865. After Barrington’s death in 1883, Christina inherited most of the land, which she began to sell off.

(Below: Edward Barrington, a former sea captain of Irish and English descent, is pictured with his bride, Christina McCrohan.)

Barrington had already begun to sell land to newly arriving Irish pioneers. Christina plotted out lots, setting aside the Oak Tree Park, now named Smith Park. This was in 1889.

Also arriving to Oak Harbor Bay in 1852 from Ireland were the brothers Thomas and Samuel Maylor.

They claimed the land that is still known as Maylor’s Point.

The Navy came in 1941 and bought the land out from under the family for use as a much-needed sea plane base.

Maylor sons John and Joe contributed greatly to the new town in 1893 by not only building a successful store and a long wharf, which was the center of much trade. The Maylor dock burned in 1966, but the store building still stands.

L.P. Bryne, another Irishman, came west from New York into Oak Harbor.

In the early 1890s, Byrne built a warehouse, a long wharf and a very modern-for-the-times hotel, store and saloon business.

The Byrne businesses and wharf were located on the east end of what is now Pioneer Way. The Byrne business burned in the big 1920 fire. His lovely home still stands on Midway Boulevard above Smith Park.

Other early-day Irish business owners and town builders were Harvey Hill and Bert Nunan. The Hill general store building still stands on Pioneer Way. It is home to Mr. Music and in past times had been the very popular Masten’s Variety Store, among other owners.

Nunan built the Nunan pool hall and cafe, which still stands on Pioneer Way.

(Above: Brothers John and Joe Maylor were prominent businessmen in early Oak Harbor history whose marks still remain in some cases with some structures still in existence.)

The first Dutch folks then arrived in 1894, after these first businesses were built and the town was up and running.

The Dutch came to farm fertile lands such as Clover Valley, which was also land bought out for use by the U.S. Navy.

If you ever read this statement, “The Irish came to farm and fish,” it is wrong.

The city of Oak Harbor was incorporated on May 14, 1915. The first mayor was Irishman Jerome Ely. As we approach the city’s centennial of incorporation this May and also the 165th year since the Jan. 4, 1851, founding of Oak Harbor by the three donation land claimers — Sumner, Taftezon and Freund — let us all

celebrate our great roots and city of Oak Harbor together, be you Irish, Dutch, German, Swiss, Navy, civilian, old-timer, newcomer or tourist.

Submitted by Peggy Darst Townsdin, great-great-granddaughter of Captain Edward and Christina Barrington.