As a communications technology enthusiast or curious observer of changing ways we communicate, the Telephone Historical Centre Collections should not be missed. Boasting a full-sized magneto switchboard and Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange, visitors of all ages will enjoy exploring how communication has developed over time.
Visit Britain’s iconic red telephone kiosks and operate early phones! This collection of telecom history boasts many fascinating artifacts that may surprise and amuse.
Early Wall Phones
Early telephone usage left most homes without direct phone access; instead they needed to travel to a general store or other central point for use of one – leaving them vulnerable to eavesdropping by switchboard operators and privacy invasion.
Antonio Meucci and Charles Bourseul are widely recognized for developing the first basic telephone in 1849; Alexander Graham Bell eventually secured the patent and made his invention globally-famous by winning it in 1876. It revolutionized communication worldwide!
The collection boasts many early wall phones that ring, dial and are fully functional – such as the Stromberg-Carlson Telephone Mfg. Co. desk set from around 1885 that is still operational today; an upright wooden cradle desk set made by American Hardwood Telephone Cabinet Mfg. Co; Gower-Bell top box wall sets made by Viaduct Manufacturing Co; as well as an iconic red British Telephone Kiosk.
Early Telephone Sets
Early telephones were electromagnetic instruments that converted sound energy into electric current in order to transmit voice data over long distances. These basic devices resembled the mechanical acoustic phones you might build as part of an elementary school project by connecting two tin cans with taut strings or wires.
Early desk sets featured separate mouthpiece and receiver; by 1930 most phone manufacturers began producing phones that combined both components – an Ericofon is one such model.
Up until 1912, most house-to-house circuits were shared via what was known as a “party line,” where multiple families could receive and listen in on calls made between houses. Our iconic red Model K-6 British Post Office call box typifies this exchange system. Furthermore, this marked the first time public could directly connect with long distance operators rather than first having to pass through local operators first.
Early Switchboards
Once the telephone was introduced in 1876, central caller connections became essential. Manual switchboards quickly became an integral component of manual central telephone exchanges throughout the 20th century.
Switchboards are large rooms filled with rows of female jacks. Each jack serves a subscriber or acts as an incoming/outgoing trunk line, and each jack also has an associated lamp.
At the museum’s two-position Kellogg Universal switchboard allows visitors to interact with equipment used by operators assisting customers in making collect, billed and coin calls from payphones. Specialized switchboards were also employed by city operators for direct dialed long distance calls when local operators knew a number could be directly dialed from payphones; eventually these “coin boards” were gradually phased out due to newer automatic switching systems like Traffic Service Position System or similar which offered faster switching options without operator assistance.
Early Telephone Accessories
Early microphones for telephones used carbon granules compressed between two thin metal plates to pick up soundwaves and induce current in an electromagnet that wound around either a permanent magnet or coil of wire. Later sound-powered dynamic telephone microphones featured diaphragms which vibrated inside coils of wire that created sound.
Switchboards were an integral component of telephone networks, connecting circuits and providing points of intersection. Our collection features a Kellogg Universal switchboard which has been upgraded for interactive visitor displays.
The Telecommunications History Group was formed by active and retired telecommunications employees concerned that historic items were being lost as buildings were demolished or departments no longer required them. Today, THG maintains one of the largest privately held telecommunications archives in America as well as two museums as well as educational programs and is supported through membership dues, research fees, grants and donations from donors.
