Explore telecommunications history at this unique museum in Edmonton. Uncover its people, politics and equipment that helped change the world.

Sheldon Hochheiser is the Archivist at the Telephone Historical Centre’s expansive collection of early telephones and related equipment, which makes up its impressive research archive. We were given a tour of his phenomenal research archive.

The Story of the Telephone

The Telephone Historical Centre opened in Edmonton in 1987 and has grown exponentially ever since, boasting thousands of photographs, hundreds of telephone-related artifacts and oral histories from former phone workers – it has become one of Edmonton’s premier cultural attractions.

As soon as the first sound echoed down from Bell’s telephone, onlookers were floored. Hearing a voice from across the globe seemed almost magical – an extraordinary feat of engineering but more likely just an act of nature itself.

Antonio Meucci and Charles Bourseul had previously invented similar devices; however, Alexander Graham Bell won the patent through research and business planning in 1876. Bell’s invention soon transformed how we communicate; it allowed us to stay in contact with friends and family across the world while businesses flourished; it even made modernization possible in Alberta! Today it would be hard to imagine life without telephone.

The Archives

Archives at AT&T serve as a rich repository of source material for speech and hearing research, telephony/telecoms/communications engineering/processing/signal processing/electronic manufacturing industries. AT&T corporate historian Sheldon Hochheiser has an excellent grasp of its materials as well as any unique organizational idiosyncrasies of this centre.

Archival collection detailing the development and use of telephones by people since Alexander Graham Bell invented them in 1876 until present-day innovations in telecom.

The collection traces Alberta’s telecommunications history at an era when an ambitious province was being formed. This includes equipment, politics, competitions, personalities and stories that illustrate this period – it’s truly an incomparable archive that brings to life all of the magic that telecom has to offer!

The Collection

The Telephone Historical Centre’s collection encapsulates many facets of telecommunications in Alberta. From vintage operator switchboards and novelty phones, to hundreds of pieces of equipment and more, its collection showcases innovation, technology and the people who created it all. This museum tells an important tale.

The archives contain an impressive collection of telephone directories dating back over 140 years, technical manuals, and books on telecom. Furthermore, oral histories were conducted with former employees from within the telephone industry.

The collection is an extensive source of source material on electroacoustics, telecommunications and the history of Bell company. Arranged into twelve series with five loosely following the 1991 SNET records management schedule; remaining five alphabetically organized; it features unique original volumes such as The Telephone: An Account of Phenomena of Electricity Magnetism and Sound as Involved in its Actions with Instructions on its Construction with Instructions to Construct a Speaking Telephone from 1877.

Events

Students, researchers and those curious about history can delve into Edmonton’s rich telephone heritage at the archives. Vintage directories as well as technical manuals dating back to the 1800s can be found here; visitors can also experience an old telephone switchboard while learning about telecommunications technology at an interactive private automatic branch exchange exhibit. Unfortunately, after 31 years at Old Strathcona neighbourhood location the Telephone Historical Centre closed and now relocates to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre due to relevancy, financial issues and structural concerns as primary factors behind its relocation citing relevanceancy issues as major causes for its move.

Today, making a phone call seems almost magical; but this hasn’t always been the case.

At Cle Elum Manual Exchange – one of the last working telephone switchboards west of Mississippi – there used to be an incredible telephone switchboard known as Cle Elum Manual Exchange that houses this unique museum.

Inside you’ll see the equipment that made this all possible from the first telephone to modern cell phones – from old operator switchboards and antique line insulators, all the way through novelty phones.

History of the Telephone

The word “telephone” derives its name from two Greek roots tele, meaning distant and phone, meaning sound. Antonio Meucci is widely acknowledged to have invented the first basic telephone in 1849 while Charles Bourseul developed similar technology four years later in 1854 – however Alexander Graham Bell was responsible for commercializing their invention into everyday use.

Though Bell’s invention has gone through physical modifications since 1876, its functional design remains virtually the same. Early telephones consisted of a battery-powered base equipped with carbon granule transmitter and electromagnetic receiver; when not in use, its handset could be placed into an attached cradle for storage.

This museum houses hundreds of telephones and related items spanning multiple centuries, giving visitors an interactive learning experience about telecommunications history. Visitors may play the part of an operator when dialing a rotary phone; knowledgeable docents (current or former phone company employees) are on-hand to answer questions and demonstrate equipment. The museum is self-guided but docents can provide further assistance and answer queries as required.

Early Telephones

Early telephones were much simpler than what we are used to today. Some phones used liquid transmitters that dissolving into an incoming signal while others used sound power with diaphragms vibrating carbon transmitters. Some early phones survived through to modern times in military and maritime applications where producing electrical energy was essential.

Telephone networks grew quickly. House-to-house lines, known as party lines, allowed anyone on the line to listen in on calls made between parties; privacy issues were an enormous source of worry. An undertaker in Kansas City developed the first automatic dialing system in 1891 due to concerns that dishonest operators were steering customers elsewhere; by 1904 Bell experimented with an “French phone,” with transmitter and receiver operating within one handset.

The telephone revolutionized our way of communicating, and this guide will help you trace its development and understand its influence in our lives. It features inventions, businesses and the extensive telephone wire network across America.

Early Switchboards

Calls placed over the telephone in the 1800s were routed through a manual switchboard – large boards that connected many telephones via a central exchange in a city. At first these boards were operated by teenage boys; however, due to their reputation of rudeness and misdirection of calls they soon earned themselves women were quickly hired as replacement operators.

As well as physically connecting calls, operators had to undergo extensive training in switchboard etiquette. They were provided with strict rules regarding dress and language usage.

When someone called, an operator would pull forward the talk key and say, “Number please.” She would then locate and plug in their jack before applying current and returning the talk key back to its normal position before moving onto her next call. By the 1890s, divided switchboards had become popular, enabling teams of employees to serve customers assigned plugs individually; customers came to know their operators by name over time as teams serviced individual plugs assigned them; eventually these systems were replaced with panel switches or other automated systems.

Modern Telephones

Modern telephones boast many features that augment–but do not replace–Bell’s original invention, including automatic redialing, call number identification, voice recording and visual data display. But its basic design remains unchanged since 1876!

Telephones can be divided into various categories: landlines, cordless phones and mobile phones. Each uses different technologies to connect with the network.

Visit the Telephone Historical Centre to gain a deeper insight into its transformation over time. So next time you use your phone, remember to thank its creators. For more information about this museum located in a historic 1896 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places that’s operated by employees from Southwestern Bell, SBC and AT&T as well as members of Telecom Pioneers (a 501(c)(3) employee service organization).

The Telephone Historical Centre Collections tell the tale of communications technology since Alexander Graham Bell first patented his basic design in 1876. The museum exhibits technology, businesses and people who have made Alberta’s telecom history so unique.

No matter your interests or collecting habits, THG has something for everyone. From collectors to those simply curious to learn more about the history of telecom services, there’s sure to be something in here that appeals to everyone!

The Story of the Telephone

From early rotary dial phones to modern mobiles, this exhibition explores the evolution of telephone technology over time. Additionally, this show honors generations of men and women who built telephone networks by erecting poles, burying cables, designing technology platforms to run them and making this network work efficiently.

Chimu people of Peru invented the world’s earliest known telephone in 7th century AD using gourds and stretched hide. Later in 1672, Robert Hooke proved that sound can travel along strings or wires due to mechanical vibrations.

Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone in 1876 is widely recognized as one of the seminal moments in human communication history. Through it, people could talk face-to-face over long distances; businesses were able to expand their customer bases instantly while consumers could communicate instantly between each other instantly – leading to modern internet and social networking services like Twitter or Facebook. Telephone exchanges connected pairs of telephones so individuals could call anyone from home or business instantly.

The Telephone Kiosk Collection

At an age when communication can happen instantly on mobile phones, it can be easy to forget the days when telephone boxes were used as gathering places – for conversations between friends or even just to see who was calling. Yet these iconic relics of yesteryear remain; some can be found preserved within the grounds of Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings in Bromsgrove UK at National Kiosk Collection.

This collection comprises 32 kiosks from 1920-1999 used by both British Telecom (BT) and the Post Office, as well as emergency call boxes provided by AA and RAC emergency call boxes, and the red police booth made famous by Doctor Who.

The K8 designed by Bruce Martin and Douglas Scott stands out among our collection. Crafted out of aluminium rather than concrete, its construction was not only more cost effective but also simplified the decorum found on other kiosks.

The Telephone Exchange Collection

This collection showcases innovation, technology and culture through generations of workers who erected poles, laid cable lines and created communication devices that revolutionised our way of communicating.

This photograph depicts a switchboard inside of an environment which appears to be both telegraph office and general store. It is packed with numerous telegraph cables and surface wiring from earlier eras; also, women seated are wearing dresses dating from 1920s.

Telephone Directories published during the late 19th and early 20th centuries provide a fascinating window into social history. These unique records help trace the evolution of telephone technology by documenting how people used it. This Directory collection is organized alphabetically with files on exchange histories, facts and figures as well as buildings storms disasters as well as key figures in each company’s history – this series requires special handling due to limited space availability.

The Virtual Museum of Telecommunications

Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized our world when he secured a patent for his telephone invention, enabling people to connect over long distances for communication purposes, sharing ideas and information never before possible.

The Virtual Museum of Telecommunications is an online network portal that hosts rich content relating to artifacts from museums and galleries throughout the UK and internationally. The museum was created using an archive that had been held by British Telecommunications (BT), but closed down in 1997.

This collection showcases how communications technology has advanced through time. It features working switching equipment, 32 kiosks of various designs, an operator switchboard from Winter Park Telephone Company and many other rare artifacts – many available through virtual tours available on Museum websites.