Love abounds in old messages found beneath historic Freeland Hall

From the outside, Freeland Hall is an unassuming structure. Built in 1914, the 2,400-square-foot building resembles a giant cabin, fitting for its woodsy surroundings at the edge of Holmes Harbor.

Countless couples have tied the knot at the historic venue, which provides the setting for about 40 weddings every year. But perhaps less apparent to the casual visitor or party guest is the fact that love is – literally – written into the building’s foundation. One story of unrequited adolescent love endures in historic graffiti, a fitting tale in the spirit of Valentine’s Day.

Underneath Freeland Hall, the names of young people from decades past declaring their affection for each other serve as a lasting testament to love. Chalked out in loopy cursive, phrases such as “Elise loves all the boys” draw the eye.

Andy Campbell, president of the Holmes Harbor Activity Club, navigates the large, maze-like crawl space with ease. The low ceiling is strung with yellowed cobwebs, and wood and debris left behind by past workers piles up in places.

“It’s tight quarters down here,” he observes.

Illuminated by a flashlight beam in the dark, the chalked scrawls stand out, perfectly preserved, as if time hasn’t damaged them. Campbell compares them to old cave drawings found by archaeologists.

An ancient, dusty beer bottle nestled in the rafters – perhaps pilfered from a social gathering upstairs – hints at one possible reason why the kids came below the building to hang out.

One phrase is written repeatedly, more so than the others: “Arnold Hugley loves Betty Jean Blankenburg.”

However, theirs was a love story never to be.

Betty – now Betty Nordquist – recalls that Arnold was a childhood friend who often walked with her from her home on Myrtle Avenue in Freeland to a two-room schoolhouse near Mutiny Bay. The two friends lost touch as they grew older and went their separate ways.

Nordquist was baffled to learn that her name was paired with her old friend’s beneath Freeland Hall. She had no idea he might have felt that way about her at one time.

“We were just grade school kids together,” the 91-year-old said.

She never heard what became of him.

According to an obituary published by the Everett Herald in 2016, an Arnold Hughley – not Hugley – preceded his sister in death. Military and cemetery records indicate that Arnold Hughley served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War and died in 1986. He was a sergeant in the Army.

During World War II, Nordquist played the piano in Freeland Hall for some of the dances held there. She had no clue such a space existed beneath the building where kids must have met. It’s unknown whether a lovelorn Hugley, or Hughley, or someone else entirely wrote the old messages of love beneath Freeland Hall.

In 1950, Nordquist graduated from Langley High School and married her sweetheart from the mainland, Walter, the following autumn. The couple moved back to South Whidbey in 1975 for about two decades before returning to Snohomish County again. She lived on Whidbey Island for a total of 36 years.

Nordquist encourages any old timers of Whidbey Island who might be interested in swapping memories of growing up on the rock to give her a call at 253-881-1700.

Over the years, Freeland Hall has served as a gathering place for many happy occasions, including weddings of Whidbey Island couples.

Langley resident Linda Irvine married her husband, Peter Oakley, at the historic hall in 2004. It was an outdoor September wedding, and the out-of-state guests were delighted by the eagles flying overhead.

“It just felt imbued with history, and maybe we were feeling some of that mojo from the scribblings in the basement,” Irvine said.

For the couple, Freeland Hall was a reaffirmation of the idea that they were committed to Whidbey Island, where they first met.

“It’s a reminder every time we go past there, if for some reason we find ourselves in Freeland,” Irvine said.

Built in 1914, Freeland Hall has been the site of many happy gatherings. (Photo by David Welton)

Linda Irvine and Peter Oakley are one of several Whidbey Island couples who have tied the knot at Freeland Hall. Their wedding took place in 2004. (Photo provided)