Shannahan Artesian Well Company, Inc. of St. Michaels, Maryland is now 121 years old.  In 1883, John Henry Kelly Shannahan established the J.H.K. Shannahan Artesian Well Company.  He is credited with having drilled the first Artesian well in Easton, Maryland.  It flowed better and claimed better water than anyone else had, and he sold it by the barrel.

1896-1952

Around 1896, Norman Shannahan, Sr. started working for the well company and later took over the business.  Norman, Sr. always believed that if you worked hard and did the very best job you could, everything else would take care of itself.  That idea still holds true today. 

At that time, they started steam operated drilling rigs which could take many weeks to complete one system.  The rig was made out of wood and iron.  The mast of the rig was made of wood and stood about thirty feet tall.  It was capable of drilling down to two thousand feet and they did drill one to over one thousand feet for the Town of Easton and Middleton, Delaware.  The steam rig finally gave way to cable tool rigs and presently the mud rotary rigs.

1952-today

Norman Shannahan, Jr. worked for his father until 1952 when Norman, Sr. passed away and left the task of running the family business to him.  He went after the task with the same enthusiasm that his father had.  Norman, Jr. had two sons, Norman III and John Trippe (Jack), who both worked for their father for many years.  In 1994 when Norman, Jr. retired, Norman III and Jack worked jointly as they had for over 40 years.  In 2004, Jack took over the business when Norman III retired.  John T. Shannahan, Jr., Jack's son, is the fourth generation well driller and will be carrying on the tradition that started over 120 years ago.