The Telephone Historical Centre offers an incredible journey into communications history from Alexander Graham Bell’s attic workshop through to modern mobile phones. Explore a manual switchboard or step into an impressive Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange to experience its stepping switch principle, or browse their extensive library of books and technical manuals related to telecom.
The museum pays homage to all non-Bell System phone companies that served rural and small town Midwest communities outside of Bell System phone exchanges. It hosts an impressive collection of glass insulators as well as recreations of independent phone exchanges.
Classroom Outreach
School outreach programs engage students in community issues and skills that directly affect their lives, with an aim of amplifying students’ voices by connecting them with economic, political, and societal forces that influence daily lives.
Museum educators work directly with classroom teachers to conduct lessons that meet social studies standards. Students learn from historical artifacts while engaging in hands-on activities like wool spinning and quill writing to develop visual literacy, historical literacy and critical thinking abilities.
THG includes two museums and one of North America’s largest telecom archives, dating back to Alexander Graham Bell’s attic workshop. Established by telecommunications employees who were shocked to find many historical artifacts being discarded when buildings were demolished, THG has grown into a nonprofit supported by membership dues, research fees and volunteer assistance, with its goal being preserving telecom history while educating the public about it.
School Field Trips
Our educators can come directly to your school to teach lessons using the museum collection and building as learning tools, from Pre-K through college. We can tailor content specifically to each group of students.
Field trips at The Bishop offer two-hour, guided experiences showcasing The Bishop’s most popular exhibitions and exhibits. Students also visit Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat and participate in a Planetarium show.
Students explore the cultural, social, and economic changes taking place during California’s Victorian Era through this interactive program aligned to California curriculum standards.
Your students are guided through our Victorian Village by historically dressed interpreters wearing period clothing, who offer insight into home life, technology, and activities of Rockford residents from 1899-1910 (The turn-of-the-century to 1910 period). This tour stimulates critical thinking and analysis among your pupils.
Community Outreach
The Telephone Historical Centre is one of North America’s premier telephone museums. Dedicated to collecting, researching, organizing, documenting, exhibiting and storing historical materials relating to telecommunications development both locally and worldwide, it was founded by retired ED TEL employees in December 1987 in Old Strathcona before moving its location in 2004 to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre for permanent exhibition. Here you can experience hands on exhibits illustrating communications principles as well as an outstanding multi-media Telecommunications Theatre Show!
The Museum’s collection boasts artifacts ranging from Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame Phone and Thomas A Watson’s Thumper Phone to rotary dial telephones, manual switchboards and working telecommunications equipment – as well as tools of the trade for linemen such as copper cabling and manhole covers plus an outstanding display of telephone insulators.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Telephone Historical Centre at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre provides a fascinating history lesson of telecommunications technology and systems. Featuring antique telephones and other pieces of telecom equipment from its extensive collection, as well as interactive displays to demonstrate this science behind communication systems and technologies, its exhibits also serve to educate visitors.
Volunteers play an integral role in museum operations, from giving tours and assisting with programs and fundraisers, managing youth activity tables and cataloging artifacts, to handling them professionally or cataloguing artifacts themselves. Some volunteer positions require formal artifact handling training or experience working in libraries or teaching environments – volunteers with such credentials often are in high demand!
The Telephone Historical Centre first opened its doors to visitors in December 1987, initially located within an Old Strathcona telephone exchange building. Since 2004, however, it has been located at its current site – one of Edmonton’s most beloved museums and an entertaining way for both students and adults to gain insight into how and why telephone technology was invented and its impactful evolution throughout human history.
