Wapakoneta in Auglaize County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Shannon Stock Company
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 12, 2010
1. The Shannon Stock Company Marker (Side A)
Side A:
The Shannon Stock Company, also known as Shannon's Famous Players, was a traveling theatre company based in Wapakoneta from 1913 until the Great Depression. Founded by Harry Shannon, the group included his wife Adelaide, their children, Harry Jr. and Hazel, and a company of twenty people or more. The Company performed in theatres in southern states during the winter and in a tent in Ohio, Indiana, and other Midwest states during the summer. When not performing, the Shannons prepared for the next tour while at home here in Wapakoneta.
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Side B:
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Many Shannon Stock Company actors and crew members lived in this house with the Shannons, with rehearsals held in the back yard. For the tours, the cast learned different plays and performed them over five consecutive days in one town. Louise Miller, a former Shannon troupe member said, "We played simple plays. Our audience was nice, common people….And we never had anybody walk out on us." Like vaudeville, touring theatre was popular entertainment for Americans that faded with the advent of motion pictures and radio.
Erected 2008 by Wapakoneta 175th Anniversary Committee and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 6-6.)
Topics and series.
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Location. 40° 34.235′ N, 84° 11.902′ W. Marker is in Wapakoneta, Ohio, in Auglaize County. Marker is on Auglaize Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is about 600 feet west of the intersection of Auglaize Street and Blackhoof Street (Ohio Routes 198/501). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 308 W Auglaize Street, Wapakoneta OH 45895, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Wapakoneta Woman's Club, Inc. (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Wapakoneta Commercial Historic District (about 700 feet away); The John H. Nichols House (about 700 feet away); Dudley Nichols (about 700 feet away); The Nagel Block (1908) (approx. 0.2 miles away); 1874 Casper Rhine Boots And Shoe Store (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Charles F. Herbst Building (1905)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 12, 2010
2. The Shannon Stock Company Marker (Side B)
Regarding The Shannon Stock Company. William L. Slout's 2008 book, Theater in a Tent, examines the genre and includes brief mention of the Shannon Stock Company.
Also see . . .
1. 1901 Notice in the Aurora Daily Express. (Submitted on April 19, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Harry Shannon, Jr. (Submitted on April 19, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. 1944 Billboard Notice of Harry Shannon Jr. at the Auglaize County Fair. (Submitted on April 19, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Additional commentary.
1.
My mother, born in 1915 in Paulding, Ohio vividly remembers going to performances by the Shannon Players in a tent near her home. Her farming family was large and had little money, but they always managed to scrape up enough to take the whole family. She talks about those plays to this day....how wonderful they were. Yes, she's 98 this year and still going strong!
— Submitted September 19, 2013, by Carol Humphries of Glen Allen, Virginia.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., March 12, 2010
3. The Shannon Stock Company Marker and House
Credits. This page was last revised on January 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 19, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,531 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 19, 2010, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
