The Telephone Historical Centre houses an outstanding selection of antique telephones and telecommunications technology, as well as an expansive research archive featuring microfilm copies of early directories as well as at-risk scrapbooks and binders.
These records document the progression of communications technology from Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame and Thomas Watson’s Thumper Phone through modern wireless technology.
Collections
The Alexander Graham Bell Collection includes photographs, equipment and artifacts dating from its first factory in Brantford in 1878 to the Bell-Northern Research and Development Laboratories today. In addition to these documents spanning telephone manufacturing from their beginning in Brantford in 1878 through its modern production at Bell-Northern Research and Development Laboratories today; as well as comprehensive files on the Trans-Canada Telephone System, Bell Canada as well as independent Canadian telephone companies including independent/connecting telephone services within Canada as well as foreign telecommunications systems worldwide; including correspondence written by Alexander Graham Bell himself, 1915 book of sketches showing construction of first transcontinental line to tape recordings featuring Thomas Watson commenting on working alongside inventor Thomas Watson as well as customer opinions about this new device from its customers themselves.
The Museum houses one of the largest collections of antique telephones and related telecommunications equipment in North America, ranging from wooden box phones and candlestick phones to classic rotary phones and novelty phones – not forgetting our working central office switchboard with operator panel and crossbar electromechanical switching – this collection provides a fascinating window into communication history.
Exhibits
The museum offers an engaging look back into the development of telephone technology with their collection of antique telecommunication equipment and items, such as replicas of Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone to videophones; showing all their technological progress over more than 100 years.
The telephone is one of the greatest inventions ever. It revolutionised our way of communicating, as well as social interactions among humans. From new forms of etiquette to aiding deaf individuals communicate more easily – the telephone has become an indispensable part of modern living.
The museum features an eclectic array of artifacts such as wooden box and candlestick phones, operator switchboards, working panel and crossbar electromechanical switching systems central office type switching systems from World War I through Gulf War, hundreds of telephone related trinkets and an extensive library of telephony books and catalogs; these items can all be found within an iconic phone building that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Events
Telecommunication museums provide living galleries of history; their collections enable both students and adults to comprehend how technology evolves over time. Museum-based learning resources often showcase working telecommunications equipment that showcases its iterative design processes that have led us to our current world of interdependent communications technologies.
From Alexander Graham Bell’s solid wood wall-mounted phones that required operator direction to the sleek mobile devices of today, visiting telephone museum collections can make for an entertaining family outing or school field trip experience. Roseville Telephone Museum boasts one of the largest collections of antique telephones in North America.
Gridley Museum of Independent Telephony in Illinois was established by active and retired telecom professionals with a passion for preserving independent telephone history in their community. This innovative museum boasts an innovative Step-by-Step Private Automatic Branch Exchange exhibit as well as plant displays featuring poles cables splicing tools and antique line insulators from poles cables splicing tools to antique line insulators; additional items in their collection include two position Kellogg universal switchboards as well as candlestick wall telephones.
Membership
Register as a member now to support one of North America’s premier telecommunications museums! Members receive biweekly emails providing updates from across the history discipline and may qualify for up to five grant-in-aid programs each year to further their research projects.
Our extensive archives contain more than three and a half million paper documents and 25,000 pieces of equipment, which trace telecommunications development from manual system telephones operated by switchboard operators to today’s wireless communication technologies.
The Museum operates entirely independently, supported by membership fees, donations and grants from both members and donors. We have received four stars from Charity Navigator so you can trust that your membership dollar is being wisely spent. Plus you’ll gain discounted admission and gift shop purchases. Plus there’s The History Teacher magazine subscription plus access to over 1,500 humanities and social science journals on JSTOR archives!
