Jane Dean Coffey Chapter DAR was organized December 7, 1935, in Coffeyville, Kansas. The chapter was named for Jane Dean Coffey, mother of Colonel James A. Coffey, the founder of Coffeyville. Jane Dean was daughter of Rev. Jacob Dean, Methodist Minister, and was the wife of Achilles Coffey, a well-known Baptist Circuit Preacher who was a captain in the Black Hawk War.
The area of Coffeyville was occupied as early as 1803 by the Black Dog band of Osage Indians. Coffeyville was originally an Indian trading post, and was settled in 1869. Colonel James A. Coffey came here from Humboldt, Kansas, and traded such things as lumber, building materials, and other supplies with the Indians.
In the 1870s and 1880s, Coffeyville became a major railroad terminal center for trading grain and shipping cattle. In 1890, Coffeyville was first in Kansas to discover and develop gas, a valuable fuel.
A significant historical event was the raid on Coffeyville by the Dalton Gang on October 5, 1892. Three Dalton brothers, Bob, Grat, and Emmett Dalton, and their partners, Bill Power and Dick Broadwell, had a plan to rob two Coffeyville Banks, the First National Bank and the Condon Bank. Following the robbery a gun battle ensued which left four of the gang dead -- Bob, Grat, Broadwell, and Power -- and four of Coffeyville's citizens also lost their lives. Emmett Dalton survived.
Area history has always been an important interest of the chapter. Tillie Karns Newman, an early member, researched and published The Black Dog Trail, which recounts the lives of two Osage chiefs, father and son, named Black Dog, and traces the trail named for them that passed through the Coffeyville area. This book has been invaluable in preserving southeast Kansas history. In 1976, DAR participated in placing commemorative markers at seven sites along the trail. It was the first Indian trail marked in Kansas.
 In 1987, the chapter presented the Coffeyville Historical Society with one of the large Flags of the USA flown over the White House.
On December 5, 2015 the chapter celebrated their 80th anniversary. The State Regent attended as honored guest to help celebrate this special occasion.
The chapter continues to do its part for God, Home, and Country and plays a part in service to the local community and DAR.
Chapter meetings are held on the third Saturday of the month, September through May, at 12:00 noon. Prospective members are welcome to attend. Please contact us for more information, using the link below.
Membership Information
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The sidebar graphic shows a sample of Coffeyville
bricks. In the early 1900s, when the four area
brick factories were fully operational, over
750,000 bricks were produced daily.
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