Burkburnett in Wichita County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Charley Lee Coe

Photographed by James Hulse, October 27, 2025

1. Charley Lee Coe Marker

Inscription. On February 6, 1923, Charley Lee Coe made a great sacrifice. Charley was an oil field driller and lived with his wife, Helen (Rosencrants), and three children in Newtown and then in Burkburnett. On the day he was to take his daughter to the Wichita County Fair, Coe saw a fire at a neighbor's house. Coe worked his way through the smoke-filled home and found Arnold and David Hahn (ages 3 and 1) trapped in a bedroom. A neighbor knocked out a door panel through which Arnold Hahn was saved. Flames then overtook the home and claimed the lives of Coe and David Hahn. In January 1924, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission established a pension for Coe's family and awarded him a posthumous Carnegie gold Medal for his brave actions.

Erected 2012 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 17172.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Heroes. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1924.

Location. 34° 5.781′ N, 98° 34.494′ W. Marker is in Burkburnett, Texas, in Wichita County. It is at the intersection of West 3rd Street and N Wigham Street, on the left when traveling west on West 3rd Street. The marker is located in front of the old train depot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 104 W Third Street, Burkburnett TX 76354, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Big Country.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Comanchería,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least

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8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1960 Ford Milk Truck (a few steps from this marker); Panhandle Oil and Refining Company (a few steps from this marker); The First National Bank of Burkburnett (approx. 0.2 miles away); First United Methodist Church of Burkburnett (approx. ¼ mile away); Booker T. Washington Elementary School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Providence Baptist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Home of Monroe Dodson (approx. 0.3 miles away); Journey's End Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Burkburnett.

Also see . . . The Heroic Life of Charley Lee Coe: A Tribute to Bravery. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

The following is a description of the subsequent event from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission:

Charles L. Coe, 30, driller, died saving Arnold N. Hahn, 3, and attempting to save W. David Hahn, 1, from burning, Burkburnett, Texas, February 6, 1923. Arnold and David were in a bedroom of their home, a small one-story dwelling, when the house took fire. The house was of flimsy construction and was lined with heavy paper. Although smoke and flame appeared through cracks of the outer wall, Coe entered, closely followed by another man. Dense smoke filled the house, and Coe led the way through one room into the bedroom, reached a bed, and groped on it for the children, whose location was not known. His companion, seeing
Photographed by James Hulse, October 27, 2025

2. The view of the Charley Lee Coe Marker in front of the MKT depot
a sheet of flame spread over the partition wall through a door in which they had passed and feeling that to remain longer would be fatal, left the house after pulling Coe around to view the flames, but Coe jerked away from him and turned back to the bed. The other man’s hands and face were scorched, but from the outside he hammered out a panel of a door leading into the bedroom, and almost immediately Arnold was thrust out though the hole, followed by a burst of flame. The flames spread rapidly, and part of the roof and sections of the walls had fallen in before the fire was extinguished. Coe, with David in his arms, was found inside the door through which he had entered the house. Both were burned to death. Arnold was badly burned but recovered.

(Submitted on October 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 49 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.