Claude Shannon Park is coincidently located on the very site of a furniture store that his father constructed in 1915. When the building was razed in the 1990s, the vacant space was converted to a pocket park.The bust of Claude Shannon - the first of six statues nationwide - was unveiled in his home town on October 6, 2000. Each is identical except for the formula held in Claude's left hand. The location of the other statues are at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bell Labs, ATT Shannon Labs, University of California at San Diego, and the University of Michigan. Funding for the statues was provided by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (I.E.E.E.).

Statue of Claude Shannon presented to the people of Gaylord by the I.E.E.E. in 2000.

Notice the formula in Claude's left hand.  Each is unique for the six statues.

The furniture store built by Claude's father, Claude Shannon, Sr., on this site in 1915

Claude Shannon, Jr. was born on April 30, 1916. He lived in Gaylord, Michigan until he graduated from Gaylord High School in 1932. His academic and research achievements in the fields of mathematics and electrical engineering earned him the title "Father of Information Theory". Shannon is credited for laying the groundwork for many digital and technological advancements that are widely enjoyed today.

Claude Shannon Statue and Park

Explore downtown Gaylord and see the places mentioned in the book "A Mind At Play" by Soni & Goodman

Claude Shannon, Sr. owned and operated a furniture store which included funeral or undertaking services. That may seem like an odd combination to us today, but it was common practice in the early 1900s when this business was functioning. The building burned in 1914. Shannon chose to construct a new building located on the north side of Main Street. He used field stone from local farmers for the building material of the three story structure.

Former site of C. E. Shannon Furniture Store

This is the home of Claude Shannon when he lived in Gaylord from 1916 until 1932.Other members of the family:His father, Claude Shannon, Sr. (1862-1934), a local businessman and Probate Court JudgeHis mother, Mabel Wolf Shannon (1880-1945), a teacher and at one time high school principalHis sister, Catherine, (1910-2008) who was an award winning pianist.The house was sold in 1946 following Mabel's death the prior year.

Claude Shannon's childhood home

Claude's boyhood friend, Rodney Hutchins, lived 4 blocks to the southeast of the Shannon's house. The 2 boys rigged up a telegraph line using barbed-wire between the 2 houses. Rodney's sister, Shirley, described several other inventions and experiments the young adventurists concocted during their youth.

Home of Rodney Hutchins

Where was Claude Shannon, Jr. born? Gaylord or Petoskey?When Claude was born in 1916, Gaylord did not have a hospital. Mrs., Shannon chose to travel to nearby Petoskey where she could receive medical care at a hospital. She had gone there six years earlier when Catherine was born in 1910.So, Claude was technically born in Petoskey, but the family never lived there.

Gaylord Hospital 1927 - 1936

This is the school that Claude attended and where his mother taught. It was located 5 blocks south of the Shannon's home.Claude graduated in 1932 at the age of 16.Mabel Wolf Shannon taught foreign languages, was the principal for a few years, and was the coach of the first girls' basketball team in 1904.The school building is gone and replaced with tennis courts. The former school gymnasium, built during the Great Depression, is now the Otsego County Community Recreation Center.

Gaylord Public School 1898-1952

The Methodist Church was located here from 1898 until 1966. The building was sold after the congregation moved to its new church one block to the east.The building was destroyed by fire in 2008.

Site of the Methodist Episcopal Church

Chapter 1 Gaylord of "A Mind At Play" begins with a cryptogram from "The Gold Bug" by Edgar Allan Poe. This was Claude's favorite story written by Poe. Most likely, Claude would have read this book at the public library on South Court Avenue.This building's auditorium, which could seat around 500 people, is where high school graduation ceremonies were conducted in the early 1900s. It was also the venue for his sister's many piano concerts as well as community plays which often featured his mother.The Municipal Building was constructed in 1912. In addition to the auditorium and library, it housed various city offices as well as the volunteer fire department. The building was razed in 1967 when the City/County Building was built across the street.

Library on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Building

There is a plaque near the entrance placed by the Gaylord Rotary Club designating this one of 10 historic buildings in downtown Gaylord.This building was constructed in 1913 by Claude Shannon, Sr. using field stones from area farms. His son, Claude Jr., was a noted engineer - mathematician whose research is the basis for the digital age. Claude Jr.'s statue is located at 126 W. Main Street in Shannon Park.This building was originally the Gaylord Post Office and served in that capacity until 1954.The second floor was the insurance and real estate office of J. P. Hamilton who served as the city's first mayor.Later, for many years, the building was the home of Glasser Real Estate. Recent building occupants include Diana’s Emporium, D&amp;S Custom Art Work, SunFrog Shirts, and Koulka clothing store. 45th Parallel clothing store opened at this location in 2021.

This building was constructed in 1913 by Claude Shannon, Sr. using field stones from area farms. His son, Claude Jr., was a noted engineer - mathematician whose research is the basis for the digital age. Claude Jr.'s statue is located at 126 W. Main Street in Shannon Park.This building was originally the Gaylord Post Office and served in that capacity until 1954.The second floor was the insurance and real estate office of J. P. Hamilton who served as the city's first mayor.Later, for many years, the building was the home of Glasser Real Estate. Recent building occupants include Diana’s Emporium, D&amp;S Custom Art Work, SunFrog Shirts, and Koulka clothing store. 45th Parallel clothing store opened at this location in 2021..

1913 Post Office 

The brick courthouse in downtown Gaylord was built in 1891. The land was donated by Orlando M. Barnes, secretary of the railroad company.  However, if the property was no longer used for county purposes, it would revert to Mr. Barnes or his heirs. Seventy-six years later, the brick building was torn down and replaced in 1967 with the City/County Building.Claude's father, Claude Shannon, Sr., was the Otsego County Probate Judge for 12 years. His office and courtroom were in this building.Band concerts were held on the courthouse lawn. Claude jr. was in the Gaylord City Band and played the E flat alto horn.

Otsego County Courthouse

Since 1992, the museum has been the center of Otsego County history and offers permanent exhibits honoring the lumbering &amp; railroad era, agriculture, one-room schools and Gaylord's native son Claude Shannon. Volunteer docentsare available to provide information about the two galleries and there is also a gift shop which is stocked with local history books such as "Early Times of Otsego County, Michigan" "Otsego County Women In History", "Places of Our Past", and Waters, Michigan: The Town With The Bottle Fence."Visitors to the museum will also learn that when the building was constructed in 1911, it was originally a cigar factory. Later it was a pool hall called Merry's Recreation. In the early 1960s, Gordon and Marlene Everett purchased the building for their businesses The Northern Star and subsequently Northern Office Supply. This is the first of 10 history markers presented by the Rotary Club of Gaylord in 2017.The building was constructed in 1911 by Charles L. Merry for his cigar factory and store. His son, Earl, later converted the building to a pool hall.Gordon and Marlene Everett, whose shopper guide business, The Northern Star, was in the building to west, purchased this property in 1964. They added the room on the north end for a large printing press. When their business outgrew this building, they relocated to a new, larger location. The front of the building was then used for an office supply store.When the Otsego County Historical Society expressed an interest in establishing a museum in downtown Gaylord, the Everett family made the nonprofit group a generous offer for their now-vacant storefront. The museum opened in the spring of 1992 and held its mortgage burning ceremony five years later.

The Claude Shannon exhibit is a permanent display at the Otsego County History Museum in downtown Gaylord. Items currently featured include: photos of Claude's 1932 Gaylord High School graduation class, GHS diploma, statue at Shannon Park on Main Street, his parents Claude, Sr. and Mabel Wolf Shannon.A replica of the barbed-wire telegraph system reminds the views of the one he and his friend Rodney Hutchins put together which connected their house 4 blocks apart. Claude's love of juggling and riding a unicycle are also represented in the museum exhibit. There is also a mention of Tommy Tropic's juggling program named in Claude Shannon's honor. This youth-oriented fun event helps connect the past with the present.To remind the museum guest of Shannon's important role that he played in creating the Digital Age, several examples of everyday technology are featured. these include a computer disc, cell phone, digital camera, and lap top computer.

Claude Shannon Walking Tour - Gaylord, Michigan

Claude Shannon Statue and Park

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context