The Collection originated with telephone workers deciding to preserve examples of outmoded equipment that would otherwise have been disposed of, and has grown into an extensive archive of Bell Canada artifacts.
Discover Alberta’s telephone story – its equipment, competitions and people during this vibrant era when its Province was still evolving.
Museum of Independent Telephony
The museum houses an assortment of antique telephones, switches and insulators from across history as well as its effect on world events. Curated by AT&T corporate historian Sheldon Hochheiser and featuring many original documents related to early development of telephone technology.
Fort Concho National Historic Landmark’s Officers’ Quarters No. 4 houses this museum that displays artifacts spanning from 19th-century telephones to modern phones as well as an interactive display that illustrates their effects and how it changed our lives.
Gridley, Illinois holds a remarkable gem. Rogers Kaufman, former president of the Gridley Telephone Company, had long collected historical items and records and dreamed of creating a museum to house them. To examine its viability, a group was assembled with members from local libraries, businesses, political figures, mayor and city council as members who joined Mr. Kaufman to form an endowment fund for his museum project.
Roseville Telephone Company Museum
Roseville Telephone Company Museum presented by SureWest Communications offers an unrivalled combination of history, entertainment, and education in one convenient package. Visitors are treated to one of the nation’s largest collections of antique telephones and memorabilia from colored glass insulators to novelty phones; truly an enjoyable experience for all the senses.
Alec Switzer, the museum administrator, guides visitors through its exhibits to give them an understanding of life before cell phones and cordless phones were widespread. He even displays one of the first switchboards ever used back in 1914 that still functions!
The museum is an excellent way to spend a weekend outing or school field trip with children – both are fantastic activities in their own right! And be sure to visit Roseville again sometime soon so you don’t miss this awesome destination – be sure to stop by the museum – you won’t regret it!
Oklahoma Museum of Telephone History
Oklahoma City’s Museum of Communication Technology depicts the evolution of communication technology over time through its vast collection of antique telephones from all eras – rotary phones to push buttons – that document how telephone technology has progressed since their origin.
The museum showcases telephone items dating back to 1900, such as switchboards, crank wall phones and decorator phones. Furthermore, there is a collection of tools used by linemen when working on wires such as wax pots for dipping the spliced cable; stretchers to tighten wires; and Wheatstone bridges which measured resistance on a wire to pinpoint trouble spots.
The museum provides educational programs and events to its visitors, which helped transform Clinton into the international Route 66 Festival in 2007. Furthermore, special tours for schools and students are arranged. As it operates as a non-profit entity it relies on donations for operations.
Hello Montreal!
Hello Montreal!, created by Pointe-a-Calliere in partnership with Bell, offers visitors a fun and entertaining journey into how telephones have transformed our way of communicating over the last 140 years. Showcasing rare and valuable items from Bell’s Historical Collections such as rotary-dial telephones and oversize models as well as historical photos, documents and musical excerpts – Hello Montreal! is sure to enthrall!
This exhibit shows how quickly telephone technology became an integral part of everyday life in Montreal during a time when wooden sidewalks, horse-drawn trams and gaslights were still widespread. By 1922, 6 per cent of Montreal households had telephones, necessitating armies of operators to meet its growing demands. Women began using telephones for shopping groceries online or calling doctors; other uses included ordering their prescriptions or just connecting with friends – these early uses have had a dramatic impact on Canadian history – yet its technological marvel continues playing an invaluable part today in our lives today!
