On a sunny, breezy morning last week, a group of local real-estate agents were toiling in the dirt, pulling weeds and cleaning up flowerbeds at the Island County Historical Museum in Coupeville.

Little did they know they would discover a local relic that lay hidden under the museum’s porch. While clearing away some debris, volunteers found the original headstone of Capt. Thomas Coupe, the town of Coupeville’s namesake.

When pioneers were settling the west, Thomas Coupe took a land claim in 1852 on Penn Cove – the land on which the town of Coupeville eventually grew.

Castellano believes the headstone must have been donated to the museum years ago when the Coupe family installed a replacement stone at Sunnyside Cemetery. In addition to researching the headstone, Castellano is contacting the family to let them know the artifact remains under the museum’s care.

Employees from Windermere Real Estate volunteered for the cleanup from 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and enjoyed a barbecue with museum staff after their hard work was completed.

“Our garden has never looked better,” Island County Historical Museum Executive Director Rick Castellano said. “They did a lot of work and hauled off a bunch of stuff.”

Eric Mitten, broker and owner of Windermere Real Estate Whidbey Island, organized the Coupeville community service project. This year, looking for a project his agents could take on, he asked Castellano if the museum could use some help. Castellano emphatically said, “Sure!” and they scheduled the cleanup.

“We weeded flowerbeds and the herb garden, cleaned out a storage area, including taking three loads to the landfill, and even laid a few bricks with supporters names engraved on them,” Mitten said.

Mitten has organized a number of community service projects for Windermere volunteers. Past projects include weeding and landscaping at Coupeville schools and cleanup at Fort Casey State Park.

The project was part of Windermere’s Community Service Day, which began in 1984 to offer agents and staff a chance to give back to their neighborhoods by participating in local service projects. Every year, Windermere employees from more than 300 offices across the country volunteer to give back to their communities.

This particular service project was a big help to the museum, which relies largely on volunteers to stay open to the public.

“The project helped the museum clean-up the front area without increasing any strain on existing volunteers or budgets,” Mitten said. “It also helps keep Coupeville’s Front Street area looking great for our summer visitors.”

Castellano said volunteers were very nice and generous with their time.

“They put in a long, hard day and the place has never looked better,” he said. “What they did is really nice. It’s one of things that makes this community the best community.”

Windermere’s Community Service Day is usually scheduled for the second Friday in June. Mitten encourages anyone with a suggestion for next year’s project to give him a call at 360-678-5858.