The Coffeyville Historical Society, a non-profit organization, operates the Dalton Defenders Museum and the Brown Mansion the in Coffeyville, Kansas. Reservations for group tours or for other special events may be scheduled through the Chamber of Commerce. The Coffeyville Historical Society is governed by a 14-member Board made up of local volunteers who believe that preserving area history is important. On October 5, 1963, the Historical Society dedicated the Dalton Defenders Museum to the memory of the Coffeyville citizens who gave their lives protecting their town.In 1972 the Historical Society purchased the Brown Mansion, a three-story, 16-room home erected around the turn of the century by W.P. Brown. Violet Brown Kohler, his daughter, stipulated that the Mansion be opened to the public. The furnishings in the home are not reproductions but are the furnishings belonging to the family. The mansion was opened for guided tours in 1973.