The Telephone Historical Centre preserves telecommunication history from its inception until today, featuring fully operational pieces that showcase both social and technical significance of this remarkable breakthrough in communications.

This facility is the largest of its kind in North America and suitable for visitors of all ages. You’ll discover vintage phone directories, step inside an automatic exchange using the stepping switch principle and browse our extensive library of telephone books and technical manuals.

The Jefferson Telecom Telephone Museum

As landlines fade into oblivion in favor of smartphones and cellular networks, some quirky, small “hidden” museums in Greene County Iowa are helping preserve their history. One such museum is Jefferson Telecom Telephone Museum founded in 1957 by a family-owned business out of Jefferson. Executive director Carol Johannes and assistant director Ken Schaper of this historic telephone museum came on our show Thursday as we shared its tale as one of the first nationwide museums.

The museum features an impressive array of items, such as old-fashioned black Bakelite phones with dials that clacked and ticked as someone spoke; party lines where neighbors shared one phone circuit but each house had a distinct ring tone to identify who was calling; an automatic timer warned phone hogs after six minutes or they’d be disconnected; listeners even called in with stories of olden days!

The American Museum of Telephony

An American Museum of Telephony located in Mountain Ranch in northern California burned to the ground last week during a wildfire, but lucky for telecommunications enthusiasts as there will still be virtual exhibits that can be visited now.

This interactive collection takes visitors on a tour of communications technology and its development since the invention of the telephone. A hands-on switchboard enables visitors to test out switching stations for themselves; additionally, there is also an historic item such as a Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange which illustrates its operation.

The museum also honors non-Bell System phone companies that provided service in rural and small-town Midwest communities outside the Bell System, such as phone exchanges. Displays include glass insulators and recreations of independent phone exchanges. Furthermore, C. L. Brown started his business here before expanding nationally through Sprint’s acquisition.

The BellSouth Telephone Museum

The United States boasts a host of telephone museums ranging from extensive exhibits in county historical museums to dedicated structures filled with phones salvaged from scrap piles. Many are maintained by passionate private collectors, retired phone company employees or civic groups such as Telecom Pioneers of America.

The BellSouth Telephone Museum, housed in an impressive restored 19th-century building, is one of the country’s premier museums. Though only open four hours each week, making a point to visit this surprisingly enjoyable yet thoroughly educational history museum should definitely be on your agenda!

Visit this museum and you’ll see working telephones – such as the first picture phones; rotary dialers and manual switchboards; linemen’s pole climbing stirrups for climbing poles; as well as an impressive collection of fun phones from days gone by. It also houses Carol Coursey, an ex-long distance operator renowned for her dulcet tones who is happy to show visitors around her phone demeanor while teaching proper telephone etiquette courtesy of volunteer group the Telephone Pioneers group. This museum runs entirely by volunteers from this group whose group manages operations at its entirety.

The Telephone Historical Centre

The museum explores the development of telephone technology from Alexander Graham Bell’s attic workshop to present day technology. Their collection consists of phones and equipment from late 1800s up to present day as well as an impressive library devoted to its history and practices.

The telephone may be taken for granted today, but 100 years ago it was cutting edge technology. This museum explores its history and impact on society. Bring along children for a fun educational experience; there’s even something fun to do hands on here!

The Telecommunications History Group (THG) is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization supported by membership dues and research fees, operating two museums and maintaining one of the world’s largest telecom archives. Their aim is to preserve the heritage of telecommunications for future generations while celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, ingenuity and industry through educational programs and exhibitions.

The collection encompasses every type of telephone box to have graced British roadsides since BT introduced their initial standard design in 1920, along with numerous types of street furniture and an archive of local telephone directories.

This museum is the result of collaboration among various community groups – notably, Gridley Library Board and local telephone company – which have worked together on its operation by volunteer workers.

Manual System Telephones

Before recent technological advances, most telephones relied on manual system service for communications. Subscribers couldn’t directly dial one another; rather they dialed into a central switchboard which linked subscribers’ wires together where operators manually relayed calls between subscribers.

Operators connected local calls by plugging patch cords into jacks that corresponded with called numbers, making use of this system well into the 20th century by independent telephone companies serving rural towns and farmers’ lines, sealiners and naval ships prior to mobile phone technology, as well as being an early opportunity for women seeking employment.

Modern automated exchanges take up far less space and offer many times the capacity of manual switchboards, yet operators remain available if you experience problems with your phone – reach them by dialing 100. The museum collection of rotary phones features some earlier models as well as one replica from Edmonton’s first telephone unit purchased for service in 1885.

Telephone Kiosks

The collection of telephone kiosks (or pillar boxes) on display is truly fascinating. There are examples from all designs introduced since 1920 when Britain introduced standard ones.

Wood was not the most practical material for use in wet climates, so the original kiosks were installed in protected locations such as hotel foyers or bus and railway stations to protect them from further wear. Furthermore, it offered protection from extraneous noise as well as prevent bystanders eavesdropping on private calls.

Giles Gilbert Scott won a competition held by the GPO to design a standardised kiosk, known as K2, that was the first step toward what we know as today’s familiar red boxes.

Kiosk advertising can be an efficient, targeted method to reach both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. MediaLease OOH provides city panels – vertical framed displays that appear on telephone structures – as well as backlit LED panels to make an impressionful statement in densely populated urban or college campus districts.

Telephone Poles

Follett says the museum boasts many antique wall phones ranging from yellow banana-shaped models to Kermit the Frog telephones as well as old operator switchboards and military telephones that have taken on a life of their own. “This collection has come together wonderfully.”

Used originally to carry telegraph wires, wood poles now serve electric, telephone and cable lines. While early poles were constructed from spruce or fir trees, more recently Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has become the dominant species used for utility poles; other species used include shortleaf pine (Pinus sylvestris), southern yellow pine (Pinus cumana) and sassafras.

Poles are treated with chemicals and various other substances to withstand the elements and prevent internal decay. Each pole bears a tag with an identification number which specifies its street location as well as the utility company it belongs to and also displays when their last treatment took place; some tags may even be painted, stamped, or engraved for easy reference.

Telephone Directories

This museum provides visitors with an interactive telephone experience. Its collection consists of artifacts dating back to manual switching as well as an operational switchboard where visitors can dial up or down calls.

Telephone directories provide much more than names and phone numbers – they may include home and business addresses, occupation listings (which can be particularly useful when researching), church listings, charitable organization listings, school listings, hotel listings, maps etc. When looking at collections containing directories make sure there are both browse and search functions; browsing allows you to view each page as though you were reading a book itself!

Uncover Alberta’s rich telecommunications history and discover the technology, companies, and people behind its creation during this transformative era of our province’s development.

Discover the history of communications technology with this engaging museum. Exhibits include working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches, antique telephones and switchboards as well as outside plant displays such as poles, wires, cables, splicing equipment and tools with an expansive cataloged reference library.

The Telephone Historical Centre was created by retired ED TEL employees. After facing relevance and financial issues as well as succession planning concerns, its members decided in April 2019 to dissolve it.

School Field Trips

The Telephone Historical Centre was founded in 1987 as a non-profit charitable organization in Edmonton by retired ED TEL employees, with its museum situated nearby Old Strathcona near 108 Ave and Prince of Wales Armouries.

School field trips and groups are welcome at this museum, which chronicles over 100 years of communications technology in Roseville and nationwide. Exhibits include working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central-office switches; outside plant displays of poles, wires, cables, splicing equipment and tools as well as antique telephones and memorabilia from Roseville plants; antique telephones as well as memorabilia are featured as exhibits.

Students can explore this collection of 1920s artifacts via guided or self-guided museum tours, with museum educators available to answer any questions and provide classroom-use materials as necessary. Furthermore, virtual field trip experiences are also offered through this virtual tour platform.

Group Sightseeing Tours

Telephone Historical Centre staff would be pleased to conduct group tours through their 4,500-square foot museum, with exhibits such as working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches; antique telephones, switchboards, telecommunications equipment; outside plant displays with poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools; as well as an extensive cataloged telecommunications reference library.

The Edmonton Telephone Historical Centre was a museum founded by retired ED TEL employees that closed due to issues regarding relevancy, finances and succession planning in April 2019. Rent-A-Tour guides are former ED TEL employees that possess knowledge, enthusiasm and an entertaining approach that makes an informative tour an engaging experience for all ages.

Housed in a restored 1896 building in Jefferson Barracks Park, this history museum provides interactive “how-things-work” exhibits designed to foster interest in engineering and history. Their collection includes telephones from late 1800s through 2000s as well as hundreds of pieces of related equipment and memorabilia spanning their existence; additionally they boast full size Clinton C.Os and partial Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchanges from Unity Maine for added curiosity!

Docent-Led Tours

Guided tours at our Museum will enable you to gain fascinating knowledge of both our collection and current exhibitions from an experienced tour guide. Tours typically last one hour long and are free for members/included with admission for non-members.

Discover Edmonton’s rich telecommunications history at this interactive museum, complete with working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central-office switches, antique telephones, switchboards, outside plant displays with poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools as well as many telephone related items.

At Detroit 67: Perspectives exhibition, guests can engage in an educational 90-minute experience that explores key economic and social forces that contributed to its chaotic summer of 1967 and its wider ramifications for Detroit. Tours take place Thursdays and Fridays beginning at 10:30 a.m. with additional tours offered every 30 minutes thereafter until 3:30 p.m. Docent Choice tours allow your guide to highlight exhibits at their discretion depending on availability – tours may change frequently based on this option.

Over just 100 years, telephone technology has rapidly progressed into an essential tool. At the Telephone Historical Centre, this development can be experienced first-hand with its collection of historic phones and back-end switchboards.

Archive holdings at the museum include special original volumes such as Alexander Graham Bell’s own Speaking Telephone published a year after its invention.

What to Expect

As technology gradually transitions from physical to virtual spaces, the Telephone Historical Centre ensures the work and innovation behind creating real networks aren’t forgotten. Since opening as Bell Systems disbanded its monopoly in 1984, the museum has amassed an extensive collection of artifacts such as crank phones, hand-operated switchboards and antique talking equipment – which help tell its own history.

Tour guides at the museum don’t hesitate to get their hands dirty, showing kids how to use rotary phones with impunity and teaching adults about ancient switching systems that once covered the landscape. “Interactivity is very important,” according to David Thompson, who leads tours from Ellsworth, Bar Harbor and other Hancock County towns.

Early telephone users were skeptical and mistrustful. It appeared miraculous that sounds could travel from metal box to metal box through thin wires; many believed the line could act as a conduit for evil spirits or even thunder and lightning storms.

Admission

The Telephone Historical Centre is one of the largest hands-on museums in North America. Opened to the public for tours beginning December 3, 1987 at Old Strathcona and moving to its current home at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in 2004, this museum operates under volunteer management and offers both educational and family tours for both groups and schools.

Visitors to Fort Kent Telephone Company’s magneto switchboard from 1920 can witness its operation and hear its jingle ring tone as well as experience its tactile features such as crank phones, pay stations and other equipment.

The museum holds thousands of artifacts related to telecom history. This impressive collection was assembled through donations from employees and retirees of ED TEL and the Independent Telecommunication Pioneer Association who donated money, time and knowledge of their history of telecom. Devoted volunteers cleaned and refurbished equipment before helping organize exhibits within the museum village – replicating rural telephone exchanges and offices within its walls.

Exhibits

The museum boasts an impressive collection of antique telephones and telecommunications equipment dating back to the 1900s, as well as exhibits showcasing communication technology from manual switching systems to automatic ones.

Roseville Telephone Museum provides an enjoyable educational family outing, school field trip or group sightseeing tour experience. Their volunteer docents and volunteers are made up of current and retired telecommunications employees passionate about sharing their knowledge of history with visitors.

One of the many exhibits on display includes an original Coffin style wall phone and wooden three box phones that still fully function, these being precursors to modern rotary dial telephone sets by using combined transmitter/receiver units rather than separate transmitter and receiver units.

The museum also houses an innovative Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange based on the stepping switch principle; this model is unique outside a telephone company’s headquarters. Visitors can even try their hand at operating an authentic telephone switchboard!

Events

Employees and retirees of Southwestern Bell, a non-profit 501(c)(3) employee service organization, volunteered their time repairing and renovating Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum in Jefferson City. Together they dedicated over 66,500 hours towards making it accessible history museum that it is today.

Most of us take for granted how much we rely on the telephone these days, but 100 years ago it was state of the art technology. At the Telephone Historical Centre we share its story as it developed over time.

The museum first opened on December 3, 1987 in Old Strathcona and later relocated to its current home at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in central Edmonton in 2004. However, its foundation decided to close in April 2019 for reasons related to relevance, financial issues and structural problems. To examine phone communications as an expression of civic identity in Edmonton as part of their studies for their COMM 505: Using Communications Technologies to Facilitate Civic Identity class at University of Alberta: read here

The Telephone Historical Centre in Edmonton offers visitors a fascinating glimpse back in time to explore how modern communications networks were made possible using electromechanical marvels from long ago. First opened on Dec 3, 1987 in Old Strathcona and later relocated to its present day location at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre, this museum first welcomed guests on Dec 3, 1987.

Visitor Check-In

At the Telephone Historical Centre, visiting guests are welcomed quickly and seamlessly with Joan’s no-fuss visitor check-in software. Visitors receive digital invites with QR codes to scan when they arrive, eliminating paper sign-in forms altogether and ensuring a swift greeting by their host or receptionist upon their arrival. Furthermore, instant notifications inform hosts/receptionists when visitors are approaching so that they may prepare themselves appropriately before meeting up with visitors when they reach the lobby; facial coverings are recommended for all visitors and Joan can make this process even faster and more efficient – click to learn more!

Admission

The Telephone Historical Centre can be visited free-of-charge; donations are gratefully accepted. It can be found within the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre, home of other Edmonton attractions like the Canadian Museum of Nature and Science.

The museum features an expansive collection of telephones and equipment from throughout history, from wall-mounted, operator-directed hand cranked handsets made from solid wood to today’s pocket-sized touch screen cellular devices. Visitors can see how communications have progressed since 1800 in Alberta.

From Edmonton’s very first phone imported into Edmonton to today’s cutting edge cellular technology, the Telephone Historical Centre is an educational museum that will capture everyone’s interest. Parents and children alike will have fun exploring together while discovering how life has been revolutionized thanks to the telephone – for more information visit its official website.

Guided Tours

Displays such as a real, working switchboard, step-by-step private automatic branch exchange and decorator phones illustrate how wired telephone networks have progressed from their early electromechanical inventions to today’s cell phone technology. Learn about what innovations spurred others, the businesses responsible for building it all out and the people who contributed throughout history in this interactive museum of telecommunications history.

The Ohio Statehouse Monument Cell Phone Audio Tour allows visitors to set their own pace when exploring its grounds, learning more about Ohio’s rich past through sculpture collection and historic rooms. Simply locate phone numbers listed here (or in the ground-floor Map Room) on monuments or signs across Capitol Square and call them for a two to three minute description of each area.

The Edmonton Telephone Historical Centre opened on December 3, 1987 in an Old Strathcona former telephone exchange building and moved to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in central Edmonton in 2004. However, its foundation voted in April to dissolve due to relevancy, financial issues and structural problems as reasons for closure.

Special Events

Since 1957, The Museum has provided an archive and exhibits that illustrate the evolution of telecommunications through collections and exhibits. We are a private non-profit organization supported by membership dues and research fees.

The Telephone Historical Centre offers an exciting calendar of events throughout the year, such as lectures, special exhibits and educational programs.

We welcome field trip requests from local schools and have hosted numerous groups from abroad. Contact us for more information or to arrange a visit!

At the Museum, you’ll experience real, working telephones and switches from all eras of communication technology – from Alexander Graham Bell’s attic workshop to today’s mobile phones. Wall-mounted hand crank magneto phones, step-by-step private automatic branch exchanges and more will all be featured – along with electro-mechanical marvels that made all this possible!