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!

The museum houses an impressive collection of telephones and equipment for children to learn more about telecommunications history. It is an engaging place where both adults and children can come together.

Roseville Telephone Museum showcases an extensive collection of antique phones and associated equipment that chronicles over a century of communication technology in Roseville and internationally. Operating under volunteer oversight, this non-profit museum exhibits over one century of communication history in Roseville and beyond.

General Admission

This telephone museum was established by former Bell System employees and run entirely by volunteers, its purpose being to educate visitors of all ages on the history of telephone industry and its contributions to society.

The museum boasts an original phone dating back to 1878 – two years after Alexander Graham Bell invented them – as well as working central office step switches and operator switches as well as other telephone-related items.

Other exhibits at the museum include a full-scale replica of Alexander Graham Bell’s workshop, a thumper phone, and the actual bell used to notify Thomas Edison of President McKinley’s assassination. Furthermore, there is a collection of telephone-related tools and decorations such as crank wall phones and decorator phones for visitors’ use.

At the museum, your kids can learn all about phone history with an engaging guided tour from one of their knowledgeable guides. Plus, former telco workers can relive their glory days or share memories from the past with family and friends!

Special Events

The Museum of Telecommunications exhibits working equipment which illustrates the tangible history of telecommunications. Its collection traces the development of telephones from 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell first started building them, to modern mobile phones used today.

Since 1987, this non-profit 501(c)(3) museum has been operating within the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in central Prince of Wales. Established by retired ED TEL employees who founded it together, its many hands-on displays invite exploration by visitors.

Attractions at this museum include an authentic Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange demonstrating its stepping switch principle, and an exhibit detailing phone technology’s evolution from early mobile phones through modern day cellular telephones. Visitors can even try dialing an old-fashioned rotary telephone! In addition, special events and educational resources for students studying telecom or history take place here as well.

Group Tours

The Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum is housed in a restored 1896 building. Featuring an incredible collection of telephones and memorabilia, this museum also provides many interactive how-things-work exhibits that make for the ideal family outing or group tour experience.

The museum houses a working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switch as well as antique manual, candlestick phones, rotary dial phones, telephone booths, line insulators and related equipment. There is also an operating Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange demonstrating its stepping switch principle; and an outdoor plant display featuring poles, cables and splicing equipment.

The National History Telephone Museum (NHTM) features over 1000 artifacts related to telephone history. Visitors will enjoy browsing its display of wooden wall-mount and rotary dial telephones – particularly popular among visitors of all ages – along with early switchboards and novelty phones. Operated entirely by volunteers as a non-profit organization.

Volunteer Opportunities

Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum relies heavily on volunteers for many of its services and is always in need of enthusiastic, committed individuals who enjoy working directly with the public. Volunteers are needed to open and close the museum, greet visitors, answer their inquiries, as well as assist with various other tasks.

Volunteers are also needed in the office for cataloguing collections and data entry as well as setting up for special events. Volunteers with experience or education related to telecommunications or history are particularly welcome.

The Museum boasts a collection of telephone artifacts such as switchboards, rotary phones, candlestick phones, wooden wall mount telephones, Princess phones and flip phones that span multiple eras and types. We require volunteers to demonstrate these items during tours as well as staff our booth at Wildrose Antique Show featuring novelty phones such as Spiderman and Ronald McDonald models – so come be part of the fun! Donate today if you would like to volunteer!

The Telephone Historical Centre boasts one of the nation’s premier collections. Visitors can witness early wall phones, operator switchboards and an impressive assortment of novelty telephones on display here.

This section explores two musical themes within telephonic history – public performances of telephones as instruments, and their use as musical performance tools in the 2000s – using Balbi’s philosophy that old and new media must not be studied separately.

The Invention of the Telephone

Telephone technology has become so ubiquitous in our lives today that it is easy to forget that it was once cutting edge technology. Alexander Graham Bell developed it out of a passion to improve communication among deaf people as part of his lifelong quest to help improve society at large.

Bell learned through experimenting with electrified wires that the vibrations produced by speech could be transmitted over distance, providing him with the key for creating long-distance transmission systems based on converting acoustic variations into electric current variations and back into acoustic variations at both ends of his circuits.

Bell worked tirelessly on this project, investing his resources. On 7 March 1876 he received a patent for his invention and although most credit is given to Bell for creating it alone, Italian Antonio Meucci and German inventor Johann Philipp Reis had also contributed their knowledge in creating it prior to him.

The Early Years

The invention of the telephone was an incredible step forward for communications. Alexander Graham Bell’s device enabled individuals to carry conversations over long distances and exchange information more easily; business and industry could use it more efficiently, and even military use was made possible thanks to Bell.

In 1878, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated his phone for Queen Victoria. According to reports, she thought it was truly amazing.

Soon afterwards, long-distance telephone lines were built, and subscribers began being identified by numbers rather than names. A common battery system was then introduced, which permitted one central battery to power all telephones within an exchange rather than each having its own separate battery.

Around this time, the first coin-operated telephone was introduced. Resembling a candlestick in design, its transmitter and receiver were combined into one unit to reduce instances of users leaving their phones “off the hook.” It marked the first home telephone that could be used independently from telephone companies.

The Evolution of the Telephone

In the 1800s, the telephone revolutionized our means of communication. While initially resistant to growth and adoption, today it has become an integral component of daily life.

Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray independently developed devices capable of transmitting speech electronically in 1876. Both men rushed to file their invention at the patent office – with Bell making it to file his invention several hours before Gray. A legal battle ensued between them until, ultimately, Bell won out and thus gave birth to what we now refer to as the telephone.

By 1877, the first regular telephone line had been completed, followed shortly afterwards by a workable exchange system allowing calls between subscribers rather than between friends alone. Touch-tone phones and lighted dials also first came about around this time; Henry Dreyfuss designed his groundbreaking Model 302 phone which featured slimmer bases with touchpad buttons marked “*” and “#.” This marked a dramatic departure from earlier designs which were bulky, unwieldy and difficult to operate.

The Future of the Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell received his patent for a telephone in 1876, never could have predicted how it would revolutionize our lives today. It has become an integral component of modern communications networks; translating complex soundwaves into electrical signals for transmission while translating back into audible and understandable speech signals for reception and conversion back to audible transmission.

Telephones have evolved throughout history, improving in terms of reliability, ergonomics and functionality – yet their basic design remains unchanged – providing instantaneous connections with people worldwide.

American cities boast numerous telephone museums that display extensive exhibits at county historical museums or house them in dedicated structures filled with old phones saved from being scrapped – everything from expansive county historical museums to dedicated structures filled with phones saved from being recycled as trash. Some are owned and maintained by passionate private collectors, retired phone company employees or civic groups while others are run by organizations such as Telecommunications History Group which has existed since 1990 and provides curatorial support.

Our museum boasts an impressive collection of telephones and equipment dating from Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 patent up until modern-day phones. Discover Edmonton’s rich telephone history through our archives and photographs.

Sheldon Hochheiser, retired corporate historian for AT&T, shared with us some highlights from their Archives.

Museum of Independent Telephony

This museum boasts an extraordinary collection of telecom equipment, including working switching systems. Operated entirely by volunteers, its operation offers visitors a fascinating look back into telecom history while being both informative and enjoyable.

Once the Bell Telephone patents expired in 1893, many small independent telephone companies emerged all across North America to serve approximately half of its population until January 1984. This museum explores their rich history and recognizes their contributions to American telecommunications.

Archives contain an abundance of source material related to electroacoustics and telephone development. Sheldon Hochheiser, archives manager, provides some insights into this collection’s strengths:

The Archives

Staff have had an intensive year working on projects and preparing the Center for its next phase.

This includes making strides toward improving access to our collection through improved cataloguing, reorganization and staff and volunteer training programs.

The archives hold records of the Bell system from its inception until its dismantlement into six separate companies in 1984, as well as numerous artifacts like telephone equipment, photographs and documents.

An archive is distinguished from libraries and museums by collecting historical documents pertaining to specific historical events; archives differ by collecting evidence of that event that can only be found here; these archives typically house material unique to them – it can’t be found elsewhere – hence their name is derived from Greek verb ‘to record’ which historians have long debated over.

The Switchboard

The centre houses one of the country’s premier collections. Here you will find candlestick and wooden wall telephones, antique line insulators and even an original magneto switchboard used by Roseville Telephone Company back in 1914.

Prior to long distance calls being dialed directly, telephone exchanges relied on manual processes for connecting subscribers. George Coy introduced the first manual exchange in 1878; these devices soon after came to be known as switchboards.

Switchboards were enormous structures used by an operator to connect calls using electrical cords and switches. At first, these operators were often hired from telegraph offices as teenage boys; their operators would often swear at subscribers and play practical jokes on them before eventually evolving into receptionists and eventually being made obsolete by automated systems.

The Telephone Workshops

The Telephone Workshops promote engineering engagement among participants by drawing upon America’s long history with telephones. Utilizing electric theory, mathematics and a screw driver, these workshops encourage hands-on exploration with small parts and tools while developing dexterity with small parts and tools – a model for STEM learning that may broaden participation in informal science education and support STEM-based community programs.

Customers today have access to multiple channels through which to shop, purchase and seek customer service. However, telephone communication remains one of the primary means by which clients can voice their issues and obtain effective resolutions quickly and efficiently. This course equips students with skills necessary for providing excellent telephone customer service while projecting a professional and knowledgeable image when providing outstanding telephone customer experiences even under difficult circumstances. It has been designed by Baker Communications.

Today, using a telephone to call someone may seem effortless: just one push of a button and you can be conversing with your mother in Philadelphia or best friend in Florida – yet getting there has been far from effortless.

This special issue’s papers aim to broaden our understanding of telephone culture by moving beyond nation-state-based frameworks and exploring technologies more in terms of telephone culture.

The History of the Telephone

Discover the people, technology and stories that made Edmonton’s telephone industry successful at this one-of-a-kind museum. Exhibits include vintage telephone directories and technical manuals.

Antonio Meucci and Charles Bourseul are often credited with developing phone-like devices in 1849 and 1854 respectively, but Alexander Graham Bell secured the patent for a functional telephone in 1876.

The invention of the telephone revolutionized lives worldwide, yet was controversial at times. For instance, early phone users expressed great concerns over privacy. Public phones posed a risk as anyone listening in on your conversations could potentially hear what you were discussing; hence early users preferred using phones at businesses in order to maintain confidentiality of conversations. Alexander Graham Bell himself was an innovator renowned for working closely with Helen Keller in developing techniques to teach speech to the deaf as well as co-founding Science magazine before his death in 1922.

The Archives

The Telephone Historical Centre’s archives offer historians, researchers, and others interested in the history of telecommunications an incredible wealth of resources to delve into. Their wide-ranging collection includes vintage telephone directories from 1800s to present*; technical manuals; and numerous books of interest.

Ellsworth’s Telephone Museum stands out from traditional museums by inviting its visitors to interact with its objects by using crank phones found throughout, sitting down at an original back-end switchboard from 1901, or operating it themselves for an afternoon! Open every Sunday afternoon, run entirely by volunteers.

The Archival Collection is divided into three subseries. Series VII: Materials Produced by SNET includes clippings and scrapbooks from Connecticut newspapers as well as other locations related to SNET history as well as pamphlets, booklets and bill inserts produced by SNET.

Exhibits

Today’s phone calls seem almost magical: with just the click of a button and your cell phone in hand, you can contact anyone anywhere from Philadelphia or New York instantly. But 100 years ago was much different: dialing was done manually with complicated equipment; so visiting the Telephone Museum provides a unique opportunity to witness how far technology has advanced while simultaneously understanding its history and development in communications technology.

The Archives at the museum house an impressive collection of Edmonton telephone directories dating from 1895 to today*; technical manuals related to telecommunication technologies dating back to 1800s; and various items that help tell this chapter in Canadian history.

The Museum boasts an extraordinary collection of old phones and equipment which is on public display, such as manual telephone switchboards, step-by-step automatic branch exchanges (demonstrating the stepping switch principle), mobile phones from 1980s car models to today’s cellular phones, among others.

Events

The Telephone Historical Centre is a volunteer-run museum dedicated to showcasing an area of telecommunication history. Established in 1997, its Telephone Pioneer Museum can be found inside an old telephone building built in 1906 – featuring an incredible array of equipment and history related to telecom.

Early telephone users were skeptical and even fearful, especially those living in rural areas where telephone poles proliferated and lines ran across fields or rooftops. People in towns feared the wires might bring evil spirits or lightning directly onto them; some even went to telephone stations seeking relief for rheumatism by believing electrical impulses sent across them could cure their condition.

The museum boasts a fully operational manual switchboard and Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange as well as historical but functional telephones, providing visitors with an opportunity to learn about the history of wired telephone networks – now nearly extinct!