Coffey County Historical Society & Museum

In the early 1800s, a young man and his wife traveled by steamboat up the Missouri River to Weston, Missouri.  The young man was a farmer and a wonderful carpenter.  The people, knowing of his talent, started having him build body shaped coffins for their loved ones when they has passed away.  He used oak, cherry and walnut wood from trees on his farm and he build the coffins to the size of the person.  He would then place the coffin in a pine box so that shoveled dirt would not get inside of the coffin.  Starting in 1871 and ending upon his death in 1896, the farmer build 365 coffins.  He charged from $6.00 to $45.00 for his coffins and was paid by cash or by note; receiving his payments over a period of time.  His wife grew sick in her later years so he started to make the coffins ahead of time so he could take care of her.  When the old coffin maker died, he left an inventory of 35 coffins; each inside of their pine storage boxes.  He made these in a little out building on the farm where they were stored until 1982 when Gene Amos and his wife, Margaret, who were funeral directors in Shawnee, Kansas, heard about the coffin collection.  After three weeks of negotiation with the wife of the coffin maker's grandson, the entire collection was purchased.  The Amoses presented these coffins to historical societies and museums all over the country; to remind people of a lost craft from the frontier days.  In October 1988, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Amos donated the coffins that are here at the Coffey County Historical  Museum.

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Copyright © 2007 Coffey County Historical Society & Museum
Last modified: April 08, 2007