Background
Shannon was born March 21, 1859 and grew up in Edina, Missouri.
Shannon was born March 21, 1859 and grew up in Edina, Missouri.
He has been termed "the city"s first true architect". He apparently had no formal degree in architecture, yet applied for and became one of North Dakota"s first licensed architects in 1917. He designed 17 buildings in Devils Lake, of which 15 survived in 2001, of which the Devils Lake Masonic Temple is the "best example".
In Minnesota he worked as a carpenter, then established a homestead near Bristol, South Dakota, and later worked as a carpenter at Fort Sisseton in South Dakota.
Foreign three He served as president of the North Dakota State Board of Architecture. He lived in Devils Lake until his death on January 25, 1934.
Works include (with attribution as given in NRHP documents): Devils Lake Carnegie Library, 623 4th Avenue. Devils Lake, North Dakota (Shannon, Joseph A), NRHP-listed Devils Lake Masonic Temple, 403 Sixth Saint Devils Lake, North Dakota (Shannon, Joseph A), NRHP-listed Old Main, North Dakota School of Forestry, Alexander Saint (North of terminus with 2nd Street) Bottineau, North Dakota (Shannon, Joseph A), NRHP-listed Devils Lake, North Dakota (Shannon, Joseph A), NRHP-listed Devils Lake, North Dakota (Shannon, Joseph A), NRHP-listed Alfred East. Dickey Free Library, 105 3rd Saint, Southeast Jamestown, North Dakota (Shannon,J H), NRHP-listed Two works in Devils Lake Commercial District: the Fire Hall and the Bangs-Wineman Block, Devils Lake, North Dakota (Shannon,John A), NRHP-listed According to the NRHP nomination, from 1989, for the Devils Lake Commercial District, the Dickey Free Library was designed by "John A. Shannon", late in his career.
That appears to be a misstatement of local architect Shannon"s name.