The Telephone Museum provides a tangible history of communications technology and its influence in society, through an impressive collection of antique telephones, switchboards and equipment from throughout its long and distinguished history.
The Museum explores both local and global telecommunications history through working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches; antique wooden box phones, candlestick wall phones, classic rotary dial telephones; outside plant displays featuring poles, wire splicing equipment, tools; as well as one of North America’s largest reference libraries for telecom.
Opening hours
The Telephone Historical Centre is a museum that displays the development of communications technology throughout history. Operated by Winter Park Historical Society and featuring hands-on exhibits, it also tells of how Carl Galloway established Winter Park Telephone Company to improve customer service at his father’s grocery store in 1910.
The museum showcases working Panel and Crossbar Electromechanical Central Office Switches, Operator Switchboards, Antique Telephones (such as wooden wall phones and candlestick phones), outside plant displays, poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools, along with cataloged collections of Telecommunications Reference materials. Established by retired employees of ED TEL in 1987 and opened shortly afterwards at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre;
Visits to the Telephone Historical Centre are fun and educational experiences for visitors of all ages, as its impressive collection of vintage telephones and related artifacts offer a glimpse of telecommunications’ evolution from wooden wall-mounted devices with operator controls to sleek cell phones today.
Admission fee
The Telephone Historical Centre offers visitors a truly interactive and unique experience. With an expansive collection of original telephones that spans more than a century of communications technology and its working switching station, this museum is ideal for families, students, and group tours looking for sightseeing tours.
The museum was established by retired ED TEL employees and opened on December 3, 1987 in Old Strathcona neighbourhood. Later it moved to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre. The mission of this institution is to preserve Edmonton’s telecommunication history while informing and educating people about its impact.
The museum houses an array of antique telephones and switchboards as well as an extensive cataloged telecommunications reference library, as well as working panels and crossbar electromechanical central-office switches as well as outside plant displays including poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools. As a non-profit organization it provides educational experiences both adults and children can find enjoyable.
Guided tours
Guided tours provide visitors with a more structured experience, led by museum educators for at least an hour. On these tours, visitors will experience how one of mankind’s greatest inventions has transformed daily lives; learn how teachers of the deaf, undertakers and Hollywood starlets used it to change history while enjoying an in-depth view of museum collections and historical context.
Roseville Telephone Museum is housed in an historic building and boasts one of North America’s largest collections of antique telephones. Staffed by current and retired Bell System employees who volunteer their time, staff include manual cord boards, candlestick phones, wooden wall phones and antique line insulators as exhibits; working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switch as well as outdoor plant displays including poles cables and splicing equipment make up its exhibits.
Volunteers
For those curious about telecom history, the Telephone Historical Centre should be top of your itinerary. Boasting antique phones, line insulators and an old switchboard spanning more than 100 years of communication technology in Roseville California; its collections also showcase innovation’s importance in society.
The Museum is a non-profit organization that collects, organizes, documents and exhibits telecommunications artifacts. Accredited by Museums Alberta, school groups can tour it. Collections range from simple phones to complex panel switches; outreach workshops foster excitement about engineering while stimulating children’s intrinsic curiosity.
Volunteers enhance the visitor experience by actively greeting guests and informing them about programs and exhibitions. Volunteers are located both inside the museum as well as on its outdoor Memorial, and typically work shifts between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Training sessions are tailored specifically for organizational needs; contact the museum directly if interested.
