The following are segments of stories taken from the front pages of the Whidbey Island Record 50, 25 and 15 years ago on Thursday, Dec. 30, 1965, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 1990, and Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2000.

50 years ago

Editor: Ace Comstock

Raging fire destroys cannery

“A violent fire raged through the fish cannery in Freeland Monday night, leveling the entire structure in a matter of minutes.

“Exploding flames visible for miles consumed the Harbor Custom Cannery so fast witnesses called it ‘unbelievable.’ No one was near the structure when the first alarm was turned in at 10:55 p.m.”

25 years ago

Editor: Jim Larsen

Big storm rips island, shuts down the schools

“South Whidbey schools were cancelled Tuesday due to a huge windstorm that struck Monday evening and raised havoc with power lines on the island. Dr. Art Jarvis, superintendent of schools, started spreading the word at 11:15 Monday night that schools would be closed the following day. Puget Power had told him that ‘they figured we’d get power at noon at the earliest — it’d be a real cold day,’ Jarvis said early Tuesday morning.”

15 years ago

Editor: Jim Larsen

Historic house now a memory

“A piece of South Whidbey’s history went up in flames Sunday on a bluff overlooking Maxwelton beach. The dilapidated old Patton house, once a focal point of the rural community, was burned to make way for a new home. Dorothy Patton now lives in Langley and says she couldn’t bear to watch the home’s demise.

“ ‘My husband, John, was born and raised there,’ she said. ‘It started out as a little cabin and they added to it. There were too many memories there. I didn’t want to see it burn.’ “

John Patton, for decades a community leader on South Whidbey, died about five years ago.”