Current and retired telecommunications employees recognized that historically-significant equipment was being lost as buildings closed or employees moved departments, prompting the formation of the Telephone Historical Centre Collections as a small 501c(3) non-profit organization.
Edmonton’s long history in telecommunications can be found within its collections, which span from manual switching systems to automatic ones and celebrate the generations who erected poles, buried cables, designed and managed telecommunication technology as well as installed telephone sets in homes and businesses alike.
Artifacts
No matter what your interest may be – telecoms, history, science or simply memorabilia – this museum features over one century of telecommunications innovation and progress. You will find something here that speaks to all these areas and more! For anyone curious about learning about its impactful history of evolution in society.
The museum boasts a large collection of telephones – from wooden wall phones and novelty phones, through rotary dials and operator switchboards to complete two position Kellogg universal telephone exchanges – from wooden wall phones through rotary dials and novelty phones as well as telephone booths. Additionally, there are operator switchboards and complete two position Kellogg universal telephone exchanges on display.
Artifacts from this museum are important because they show how the telephone revolutionized communication. Furthermore, they display how this technology was deployed by both military forces and telecom companies – keeping history alive while keeping Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company alive!
Exhibits
The museum features the evolution of communications technology. Visitors learn about how telephones work, their social impact and changes they have undergone over time – not forgetting those responsible for making this all happen!
Museum volunteers – former and current telephone operators workers and operatorss – provide living histories by leading visitors through displays at the museum. They are knowledgeable and passionate about fulfilling its mission.
Southern New England Telephone (SNET), the telecommunications company that served Connecticut residents from the 1890s until early 1980s, is honored in our main exhibit by this museum. SNET provided residents of Connecticut with connectivity between 1891 and early 1980; our collection features turn of the century candlestick phones, wooden wall-mount telephones, princess phones and flip phones along with rotary dial phones as well as photographs depicting SNET employees such as Clara Cade (chief operator), electric linemen as well as their tool belts and climbing equipment that show just how difficult their labor was at times of connectivity at times when connectivity was an emerging technology. Our collection also contains equipment used by SNET employees such as chief operator Clara Cade at SNET as well as equipment used by electric linemen for working at SNET at such an established technology giant!
Collections
The museum boasts one of the nation’s finest collections of antique telephones and related telecommunications technology. Exhibits trace over one century of communications development both locally and worldwide.
This museum houses an extensive collection of wooden box phones, candlestick phones, classic rotary phones and novelty phones ranging from wooden box phones to candlestick phones and classic rotary phones to novelty phones. Additionally, they house linemen’s tools, an operator switchboard and working central office-type switching system – as well as an extensive array of insulators in various shapes, sizes and colors.
The Museum’s collections are enhanced by hundreds of archival photos, documents and films from its archive. We are an independent non-profit 501(c) (3) corporation established by active and retired telephone company employees who rely on your generous support to continue our mission of telling the tale of telecommunications – we hope that today you’ll consider making a donation – your donations are tax deductible & do not contain banner ads or pop-up ads – we even pay for server space ourselves! Together we’re creating our collective mission. Thank you all!
Education
This museum boasts one of the world’s largest collections of antique telephones and related telecommunications equipment. Operated entirely by volunteers – both current and retired telephone company employees – who are eager to share the history of communications industry with visitors.
Educational and interactive, the Children’s Technology Museum offers children a wonderful place to discover and understand how technology has progressed over time. Furthermore, it makes an excellent destination for school field trips or group sight-seeing tours.
THG exists to serve all telecom enthusiasts, scholars and researchers worldwide. Our organization is funded through research fees, membership dues and donations; members include collectors, hobbyists and telecom historians from around the globe who share an interest in preserving telecom history. Our library holds numerous catalogs, books and technical journals related to telephone collecting. Furthermore, THG holds seminars and presentations about telecom history collection.
