Plat map of Dunavan, Descriptive atlas of Jefferson County, Kansas, 1878

Dunavant is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States.

History

A post office was opened in Dunavant in 1888, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1932. In 1910, Dunavant's population was 85 people. In 1912, Dunavant had a money order Post Office and a telegraph office, and was on a branch of the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

Battle of Hickory Point

The Battle of Hickory Point proceeded on September 13 and 14, 1856. On September 13, 1856, James H. Lane, leader of Free-State men in Kansas, besieged a group of Border Ruffians in the log buildings near Dunavant at Hickory Point (also known as Stony Point), a proslavery settlement on the Ft. Leavenworth-Ft. Riley military road. Prior, this group of

proslavery Proslavery is a support for slavery. It is found in the Bible, in the thought of ancient philosophers, in British writings and in American writings especially before the American Civil War but also later through 20th century. Arguments in favor o ...

men led by Capt. H. A. Lowe had attacked Valley Falls, then called Grasshopper Falls. Among this band of the Border Ruffians were around 40 South Carolinians. With a small force of jayhawkers Lane attacked but was repulsed. Then Lane sent to

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

for artillery to drive the Border Ruffians out. Reinforcements led by Col. James A. Harvey arrived the next day, on September 14, 1856, and the skirmish ended with 4 Proslavery men wounded, 1 killed, and 5 Free-State men injured. Around 100 Free-Staters were detained by U.S. troops afterwards since the skirmish occurred after declaration issued by Territorial Governor

John W. Geary John White Geary (December 30, 1819February 8, 1873) was an American lawyer, politician, Freemason, and a Union general in the American Civil War. He was the final alcalde and first mayor of San Francisco, a governor of the Kansas Territory, and ...

directing to cease all hostilities in the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

. Jayhawkers claimed self-defense and were let go. A Kansas Historical Marker for the Battle of Hickory Point stands a half mile away, on today's

U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

Farm where John Steuart Curry was born

Also nearby, just 1/4 mi. from the Battle of Hickory Point marker, is the farm on which painter John Steuart Curry was born. The farmhouse has been moved to Oskaloosa and there are plans to turn it into a museum. Later in life, John Steuart Curry would become known for his painting of abolitionist

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

at the Kansas State Capitol, and also for his painting ''Law vs. Mob Rule'' at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, in which a judge in black robes protects a man from a lynch mob.

Geography

Dunavant is located at . Its elevation is .

Notable people

John Stuart Curry John Steuart Curry (November 14, 1897 – August 29, 1946) was an American painter whose career spanned the years from 1924 until his death. He was noted for his paintings depicting rural life in his home state, Kansas. Along with Thomas Hart B ...

(1897–1946), painter

References

External links

Plum Grove Cemetery
Dunavant, Kansas
Historical marker for Battle of Hickory Point
located 1/4 mil E of John Steuart Curry's birthplace, on

Photographs of Dunevant, Kansas
''Panoramio''
Battle of Hickory Point reenactment
, ''Jefferson News'' * Jefferson County maps
CurrentHistoric
KDOT Unincorporated communities in Kansas Unincorporated communities in Jefferson County, Kansas {{JeffersonCountyKS-geo-stub