At the urging of his wife, William erected a small house where the present day Shannon Monumental Ltd. stands. Mary Shannon had desired a more urban environment in which to raise and educate her children. However, the mortuary custom of the local natives was to suspend their deceased loved ones in the trees on the property rather than bury them. Consequently, before the Shannon family could build on the property, these human remains had to be removed from the trees.
William’s idea was to have his family spend the winter/school months at this location and return to the ranch at Empress in the spring. Mary had quite a different plan; she would remain at this location year round and William could go back to the ranch in the spring and return to her in the autumn. In 1904, her adamant perseverance witnessed the construction commencement of the present Shannon House and saw its completion in 1906. This home was not only to become the core of the Shannon business ventures for three generations, but also to become an integral part of the Medicine Hat Community. In fact, today, its location remains the hub of the city’s main road system.
For many years the Shannon property served as a campground and picnic destination for area residents. Around 1930, the entrepreneurial Shannon Family built the Maple Leaf Motel on the site. It was in this decade that William and Mary both died leaving the property to their sons, Gordon, Bert and Hartley, who, along with their families, continued to live in the home. During the 1950’s, natural gas replaced other heating methods. Again, this entrepreneurial family was at the forefront of this new industry with Hartley Shannon developing and manufacturing gas conversion devices.