The Telephone Historical Centre is a museum of communications technology. It contains rare examples of telephone equipment from every era – from Alexander Graham Bell’s attic workshop to modern mobile phones.

Volunteers educate youth on electricity and engineering through hands-on exploration of old and modern telephones at the Museum, while an impressive collection of glass insulators awaits their perusal.

Educator Workshops

The Telephone Historical Centre is a non-profit corporation dedicated to researching, collecting, organizing, documenting, exhibiting and storing telecommunications history. In addition, they house one of the country’s largest privately held telephone museum collections as well as conduct educational programs.

Find out how Alexander Graham Bell refined Samuel Morse’s telegraph into the modern telephone that enabled people to communicate across continents and oceans. Discover various exhibits at this hands-on museum, such as working step switches, xy switches, panel systems; artifacts from Bell Attic Workshop and an organized telecommunications library cataloged for your viewing pleasure.

Participants will leave with a framework and direct examples on how to teach social action using critical literacy lens, with emphasis on institutionalized and interpersonal racism issues as they pertain to both Common Core, C-3 History Standards and best practices for teaching with primary sources. This virtual workshop runs twice annually; teachers can earn professional development credit during each 90 minute session.

Community Groups

The Telephone Historical Centre is one of North America’s premier telecommunications museums, chronicling how telephone technology has progressed from solid wooden wall-mounted phones to today’s cell phones. Volunteer escorts take visitors through exhibits that showcase this technological marvel that revolutionized communication.

The museum houses an impressive collection of working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switches as well as outside plant displays of poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools for poles and plants in general. Furthermore, there is the last step-by-step automatic branch exchange in Europe as well as an exquisite full-sized magneto switchboard on display in its halls.

The museum reaches out to former telephone workers and items start arriving from garages and sheds across Edmonton. Since opening in 1987, its collection has greatly expanded – now including over 10,000 objects as well as its incredible multi-media historical telecommunications theatre show with its famous talking robot “Xeldon.” It is an engaging stop for history lovers, families and school groups on field trips or sightseeing tours of Edmonton.

Private Tours

Take a step back in time at Edmonton’s largest telephone museum. Boasting hands-on displays and working switch equipment, this remarkable collection chronicles the history of telecomms technology and offers visitors a glimpse into its impact.

Educators lead groups through the core exhibit galleries that showcase an assortment of historical telephone items, from wooden box phones and candlestick phones to decorating phones and classic rotary dial models – the museum provides a feast for the senses! In addition, tools used by your ancestors as well as cases filled with various shapes and sizes of insulators are all on display here.

Telephone Historical Centre initially opened in Old Strathcona in 1987 but moved later that year due to relevance and structural issues with its foundation, eventually becoming part of Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre later that same year. Now overseen by Telecom Pioneers – an association composed of former employees from Bell Systems.

Special Events

History enthusiasts, families, school field trips and sightseeing tour groups all find this museum engaging. Home to one of North America’s largest collections of telephones and related equipment from Alexander Graham Bell until today’s communications technologies; on display are an operator switchboard as well as panel systems used by private automatic branch exchange systems; candlestick wall phones used to report William McKinley’s assassination are on show, along with an original Kellogg universal switchboard showing how operators connected circuits manually prior to automated systems being more commonplace; candlestick wall phones depicting this period include one used by George McKinley himself!

THG volunteers, both current and retired telecom employees, began the organization when they recognized that historical items were being lost as buildings closed down, companies consolidated, or staff was laid off. THG is an independent non-profit supported by membership dues, research fees and grants and maintains both an impressive archive as well as two museums.

Telecom Pioneers of Old Strathcona operates this museum since 1987 in Old Strathcona’s historic Old Strathcona neighbourhood and houses an extensive collection of telephones and equipment from Bell Systems employee services organizations such as theirs.

This museum chronicles the evolution of wired telecommunications from Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 patent up until today’s cell phones, featuring working central office step switches, operator switchboards and outdoor displays of poles, cable and splicing equipment.

Visiting Hours

Canada’s largest telephone museum encourages visitors to touch and try things for themselves, with crank phones dotting the walls and guests taking seats at an antique switchboard from 1900s where they can act as operators and connect calls through. The museum traces phone innovation since Alexander Graham Bell first invented his device back in 1876 all the way up until modern mobile communications; hours of operation run Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 3 pm (closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday); admission by donation; this venue can be found at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre: 1400 Kingsway Ave Edmonton Alberta T5K 0J5; telephone: (780) 424-2400

Admission

Donations keep museums open so history is accessible for all. Additionally, this 501(c)(3) public charity teaching museum fosters enthusiasm for engineering by comparing modern telecommunications technology with vintage tech from days gone by; while its phone collection provides inspiration to future innovators.

Roseville Telephone Museum provides an exciting and educational destination for family outings, school field trips and group sightseeing tours of Edmonton. Exhibits at this museum include working Central Office step switches and operator switchboards; antique wooden wall phones; candlestick wall phones and desk/rotary dial telephones, plus one of North America’s largest telecommunications reference libraries and outdoor plant displays including poles/wires/splicing equipment.

Family members often possess information and objects useful to genealogists; however, their reluctance to share these with others can thwart research efforts. A written letter, visit, or telephone survey are excellent methods of gathering this data. Furthermore, asking family members about their experience with telephone companies might aid in tracking down records more quickly.

Exhibits

The museum provides visitors with many interactive exhibits and displays to enable them to understand the development of communications technology. Exhibits include working central office step switches and operator switchboards; antique telephones and decorator phones; crank wall phones that ring, dial, and have bells inserted into their mouthpieces for privacy; as well as hundreds of pieces of communication equipment.

The exhibits at this museum demonstrate how communications technology has progressed over time from smoke signals to text messages, and recognize the creativity and dedication of individuals who have worked in telecommunications – such as one woman who warned troops in New Mexico and an operator who remained at her switchboard during a flood.

The museum features artifacts that reflect Edmonton’s rich history. Exhibits at this destination also include working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switch equipment; outdoor plant displays featuring poles, wire, splicing equipment and tools; as well as a cataloged telecommunications reference library – making this an engaging destination for family outings, school field trips or group sightseeing tours of Edmonton.

Tours

The Jefferson Telecom Museum aims to foster an interest in science and engineering among its visitors, making it an excellent family destination and an educational school field trip or group sight-seeing tour. Featuring working central office step switches, operator switchboards and hundreds of pieces of telephone-related equipment and tools.

Staff at this museum include former employees from local phone companies with firsthand knowledge of the technologies displayed there, who share their expertise to preserve landlines as cellular phones continue to transform society. This dedication ensures that history will never be lost to us all as technology changes rapidly around us.

Visitors of the museum are treated to guided tours led by museum volunteers, providing insight into the telecommunications industry while experiencing how telephones used to work decades ago. The facility houses a two-position Kellogg universal telephone switch so guests can learn how to manually connect calls; further displays include party lines (where four housewives used one circuit together to gossip), as well as hush-a-phones which allow users to whisper secrets directly into its mouthpiece for privacy.

Telecommunications history centers offer working equipment such as rotary dial phones and switchboards to show visitors. Workshops or guided tours may be offered so visitors of all ages can gain a better understanding of communication technology’s evolution.

Historical centres preserve artifacts that reveal the iterative design process behind today’s interdependent world, along with advertisements, photos and personal narratives.

Educating the Future

Telephone museums provide tangible history lessons to their visitors about the development of communications technology. Visitors can explore early models and prototypes that ultimately led to today’s popular telecom devices.

From wooden, wall-mounted telephones that were hand-cranked by operators in the past to pocket-sized touch screen cell phones that are used by today’s students, there is much to discover through Telephone Historical Centre Outreach Programs. When educators take advantage of them they ignite sparks of curiosity among their pupils while inspiring them to seek knowledge in all its forms.

Museum volunteers may include former or current employees of telecom companies who can draw upon firsthand knowledge of the equipment on display, which allows them to tell engaging stories of innovation, culture and technological change – perfect for family outings, school field trips and group sight-seeing tours! Furthermore, their presence makes these museums accessible to a wider audience than would otherwise be possible.

Engaging the Past

Telephone Historical Centres not only preserve physical telephones, but they also chronicle its history through memorabilia collections. For instance, Roseville Telephone Museum showcases an impressive assortment of antique phones and equipment dating back over one hundred years of communication technology in both its local community and globally.

The museum exhibits enable children and adults to gain an appreciation of how the telephone has advanced from wooden wall-mounted phones with hand cranks to portable, touch screen smartphones used today – developments which have changed societies by increasing connectivity between individuals and nations worldwide.

Telephone museums frequently house archives that document the local history of telecommunications such as directories, photographs and personal narratives that provide researchers with an in-depth understanding of its development. Such resources also foster greater appreciation of its arduous journey that led to this groundbreaking invention – it transformed lives across communities while remaining an indispensable tool in our everyday lives.

Preserving the Past

Historical centers provide an invaluable service in their preservation of telephone artifacts and records. By documenting technological evolution from Alexander Graham Bell’s early designs through to today’s multifunctional smartphones, historical centers provide a window into how this invention has profoundly reshaped society.

Archival staff and preservation programs devise annual and long-term preservation plans by conducting risk analyses and surveys to ascertain any necessary preservation needs. Rehousing or reboxing records; using treatments to humidify or flatten tightly rolled documents; and copying onto microfilm or digital media can all reduce handling. This HBEC program utilized both staff experience with older adults as well as expertise provided by MCUAAAR leaders, CAB members, and other university partners in creating its survey and caller orientation materials. These resources enabled HBEC callers to recommend specific services based on respondents’ expressed needs during a pandemic, and ensured follow-up calls and debriefing sessions that kept participants engaged while also helping meet identified needs.

Celebrating the Past

As our world becomes ever more connected, telephone technology continues to develop. Preserving unique telephone models, telegraph machines, and related telecommunications equipment ensures that history of this pioneering invention can be preserved.

These historical centers exhibit fully functional pieces of working telecommunications technology to illustrate its social and technological importance. Visitors can see rotary dialers, picture phones and old switchboards; linemen’s tools like stirrups for climbing poles can be observed; there is even an interactive long distance call simulation with Carol Coursey, an ex-long distance operator renowned for her dulcet tones.

The Telecommunications History Group (THG), a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, runs museums and maintains one of the world’s largest telecom archives. By engaging the public in its tangible history of telecom, we celebrate creativity, craftsmanship and ingenuity that contributed to modern-day connectivity. THG also hosts outreach programs to preserve and interpret past for future generations.

Preserving telephone history allows us to understand its dramatic changes to connectivity, business practices, and emergency services since its invention. Museums and historical centres serve as invaluable repositories of this landmark technology; educational initiatives provide insights into its rich narrative.

During the pandemic, agencies serving older adults mobilized to decrease social isolation and provide necessary resources. This telephone outreach program from HBEC stands as evidence of our continued dedication to community engagement.

The Museum

The Museum offers an exciting historical glimpse into telephone technology and communications, from early designs by Alexander Graham Bell to today’s multifunctional smart phones – showing their impactful history of change worldwide.

The museum provides students with an immersive learning experience in electricity and engineering through hands-on exploration of its equipment and its components. Furthermore, it fosters enthusiasm for innovation by using the invention of the telephone to inspire young minds while cultivating entrepreneurial spirit that propelled telecommunications development.

This collection showcases an extensive array of manual system telephones used for telecommunications in Edmonton before the advent of automated system telecommunications, as well as a two-position Kellogg Universal switchboard that allows visitors to link telephone circuits between cord pairs and lamp pairs using stepping switches. Also featured is a rotary phone, candlestick telephones, wooden wall-mount telephones princess phones phone booths as well as Canada’s first ever mobile phone which was introduced during the 1930s.

The Archives

Nostalgic telephone directories and technical manuals provide invaluable insights into the development and evolution of telecom systems, with museums and historical centers around the globe safeguarding an impressive variety of early models and prototypes to trace its development as an essential means of connectivity and accessibility.

The Telephone Historical Centre archives include an impressive collection of Edmonton telephone directories dating from 1895 to present day* as well as books about the development of telecommunications technology. Furthermore, visitors to this special collection can use a two-position Kellogg Universal switchboard to connect cord and lamp pairs similar to modern automatic switching telephone networks.

Archives also house an impressive photographic archive documenting Edmonton’s telephone history, available for research. This unique resource offers an illuminating snapshot of communications development in Alberta; access is possible by appointment only.

The Workshops

Some Telephone Historical Centres feature hands-on equipment related to telephone technology such as rotary dial phones and switchboards for visitors to experience firsthand. Furthermore, museums may provide guided tours through their exhibits so visitors can gain further knowledge on telecommunications’ history.

Historic artifacts tell an intricate and interrelated narrative spanning culture, innovation and technology. Through archival preservation efforts, educational initiatives and interactive displays, these threads of history will continue to exist for future generations to discover and comprehend.

The Museum of Independent Telephony boasts a working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switch, antique telephones, telephone kiosks and outside plant displays, featuring poles, wires and tools such as splicing equipment. Furthermore, Telephone Workshops give participants of all ages an experience engineering through activities like taking stuff apart and wiring components; additionally a longitudinal evaluation measures changes over time in interest in engineering as well as knowledge of electric theory and math concepts such as Ohm’s Law.

Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized our communication in 1876 when he introduced the telephone to society. See over 100 years of phone advances at this unique museum.

Play the role of a telephone operator or dial a rotary phone at this entertaining museum for all ages! There’s an impressive collection of crank wall phones, princess phones, and flip phones on display.

History

The museum boasts an extensive collection of telephone artifacts, such as wooden box phones, candlestick phones, classic rotary phones, novelty phones and novelty phones. There is also an assortment of cases containing different shapes and sizes of insulators as well as equipment used on telephone lines.

The Museum offers a display that chronicles the history and development of telephones in Edmonton. Furthermore, numerous historical documents and photos document its growth over time.

Early telephone usage caused much controversy. Eavesdroppers could easily listen in on private conversations using this new medium and privacy was regularly compromised.

Exhibits

Experience an engaging museum experience for all ages – from Alexander Graham Bell’s revolutionary gallows frame telephone to modern day cell phones – this collection takes visitors on an educational tour through innovation in telecom.

Displays include an interactive private automatic branch exchange demonstrating stepping switch principles; manual switchboards; candlestick and wooden wall phones, antique line insulators, as well as antique line insulators from their collection of line insulators and antique telephone books. The collection also boasts an extensive library on telephony literature.

As opposed to many museums where exhibits are meant merely for viewing, this one actively encourages visitors to interact with technology. They can test their skills on a crank phone and become operators for a day at the manually operated switchboards – as well as use an old-fashioned handset to place calls! In addition, the museum pays homage to generations of men and women who contributed in creating telecom infrastructure: from poles being put up, cables being laid underground and designing and managing technology until answering calls themselves!

Events

The Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum provides an exciting family adventure, an educational field trip for students and an entertaining group outing all in one. Boasting an extensive collection of telephones and related equipment and memorabilia located within a beautifully restored 1896 building, it is operated by Telecom Pioneers; a non-profit 501(c)(3) Bell System employee service organization.

Explore one of North America’s finest collections of antique telephone equipment at the Telephone Historical Centre. With everything from wooden box phones and candlestick phones to working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches, visitors can explore a fascinating piece of Canadian history at this stunning facility located in historic Old Strathcona since 1987 – eventually moving to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre later that same year due to relevancy and structural issues affecting its foundation that managed it.

Donations

If you have an item that might be of interest to the museum, don’t hesitate to get in touch – donations are tax deductible and staff may recommend it be given elsewhere if we cannot accept it directly. Unfortunately, The Telephone Historical Centre in Edmonton closed down last year due to relevance, financial problems, and structural issues; its foundation voted this year to disband; its Telecommunications History Group continues under Connections Museum Seattle/Denver/THG Archives’ both physical and digital archives continue in place as of now.