Sherman in Grayson County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Dannel Funeral Home

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, May 15, 2023

1. Dannel Funeral Home Marker

Inscription. After training in the mortuary sciences in Chicago, John C. Dannel moved with his new wife, Flossie Louella Wade, to Sherman, Texas, where he purchased the Sherman Undertaking Company. John’s father had owned and operated an undertaking parlor in Illinois, where John was born, and he followed his father into the business. The Dannel’s first funeral parlor in Sherman was located at the corner of Walnut and Houston streets, but the John C. Dannel Undertaking Company, as it was then known, moved into a renovated pool hall on the south side of the courthouse square in 1913. Dannel introduced the first motorized hearse to the area in 1917, but he was sued by the local livery stable which had until that time supplied horses and carriages for funerals. Dannel eventually won the case after a public fight that played out in the local newspaper.

In 1923, Dannel hired architect John Tullock to design and build a structure dedicated specifically as a funeral home, one of the earliest such structures in the area. The building featured bedrooms for the family, as well as staterooms and a chapel for funerals.

John C. Dannel’s

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son, Charles O. Dannel II, joined the family business after graduation from the University of Texas. Charles died in 1961 and his father died in 1963. At that time John Carlton Dannel II assumed management of the family business, becoming the fourth generation of Dannel funeral directors. John died in 1997, and his wife assumed ownership and management, continuing the family tradition of service to the citizens of Sherman and the surrounding community.

Erected 2009 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15840.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.

Location. 33° 38.074′ N, 96° 36.454′ W. Marker is in Sherman, Texas, in Grayson County. It is at the intersection of South Walnut Street and East Jones Street, on the left when traveling north on South Walnut Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 302 S Walnut Street, Sherman TX 75090, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

Dannel Funeral Home and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, May 15, 2023

2. Dannel Funeral Home and Marker

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 Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old Sherman Public Library (a few steps from this marker); Walnut Street Church of Christ (within shouting distance of this marker); Central Christian Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1924 Masonic Temple (about 500 feet away); Hall Furniture Building (about 700 feet away); Stone from Old Ox Mill (about 700 feet away); Japanese Model 92 (about 700 feet away); Courthouses of Grayson County (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sherman.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 16, 2023, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 453 times since then and 101 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 16, 2023, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.