Star Theatre

The Star Theatre opened on March 22, 1908 as the City of Coffeyville was in a major growth spurt that saw its population grow due to the natural gas, oil and clay industries. The Star Theatre was in a late-19th Century commercial building that had held a restaurant, a drugstore, and a cigar store in short order. Nicholas M. Janssen acquired the building became the center of a dispute over its ownership and possession after former proprietor James Alifer sold a half interest in the theatre to M. O. Moulden of the the Columbia Theatre and later alleged fraud.

During the dispute in late-January 1913, Alifer was struck on the head with a nightstick by a police officer at the theatre, and Mayor Rice subsequently ordered the Star Theatre closed until the ownership and possession issues were settled. John Tackett, who claimed to hold a lease, briefly attempted to reopen the theatre but was stopped by police, and the various criminal charges arising from the affair were eventually dismissed - including the $25,000 suit by Alifer against the City. The Smokewell Cigar Store moved into the building on February 27, 1913 officially ending the Star’s run. The last advertised shows at the Star Theatre were its January 31 and February 1, 1913 times for “A Victim of the Mormons”.

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