The Telephone Historical Centre Collections offer visitors an exciting and engaging array of antique telephones, telecommunications technology, research documents and archives that they can interact with through hands-on exhibits.
The Bell Canada Telephone History Collection contains over three and a half million documents and 25,000 pieces of equipment dating from late 1800s to present day, documenting the development of telephone technology as it progressed, while honoring early pioneers who made history possible.
Collections
As well as its collection of antique telephones, the museum staff are constantly on the lookout for what will become the next great advance in telecommunications history. To share their knowledge with enthusiasts everywhere, they have compiled an exhaustive list of books and articles every telecom enthusiast should read in order to stay abreast of developments within telecommunications history.
Their award-winning exhibits boast a diverse collection of antique telephones and technology to keep visitors busy for hours on end. Interactive telecommunications themed displays and hands-on programs make finding something of interest easy; you may even come across your favourite item during one of the hands-on programs devoted to this field of technology! Visit Edmonton Museum of Telecommunications (EMOT) if you’re curious about Edmonton’s early days in telecommunications; this trip down memory lane takes us back to a time when Edmonton hosted some of world leading technologies; try on an actual Victorian dress or converse with an actual phone operator!
Exhibits
The Telephone Historical Centre Collections contain an incredible variety of telecommunications artefacts. This includes telephone sets, telegraphs, insulators and even a replica of Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone!
The museum features various exhibits and hands-on activities for visitors to enjoy, such as its Telecommunications History Gallery, Antique Telephone Exhibit, Mobile-Telephone Exhibit that charts wireless communications from 1980s cars through modern mobile phones, among others.
The museum houses an extensive collection of tools of the trade, copper cabling and manholes from early days of telecommunications technology and its development from manual switching to automatic switching. Admission is by donation.
Archives
The Telephone Historical Centre Collections contain a wide array of archives including documents, photographs, artefacts and other items related to the history of telephone technology. These items provide details about early operations of companies including information on personnel; local telephone directories; newspapers; miscellaneous items.
Manual System Telephones: Edmonton first established their manual telephone system in 1885; since then it has continued to adapt in order to keep pace with increasing population growth in Edmonton’s streets. Line switching involved sending signal patterns through switchboard operators at telephone exchanges directly to rotary dial telephones connected by wire.
The Archives Center recently received a grant from the Smithsonian Institution’s Collections Care and Preservation Fund to digitize at-risk film collections for public access. Your donation will help preserve these fragile yet unique resources for future researchers.
Research
Bell Canada’s Telephone Historical Collection is an extensive research archive, comprising nearly three and a half million paper documents and 25K pieces of equipment dating from 1880-2007. While not strictly considered part of Bell’s company archive, the collections provide researchers with access to an abundance of knowledge regarding Bell’s role in Canadian telecommunications history – an invaluable resource.
The Centre’s most captivating exhibit is its impressive collection of antique telephones and communications technology, complete with hands-on exhibits that give visitors an experience first-hand of history such as Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame Telephone or Thomas Watson’s Thumper Phone; both can be found alongside replicas. In addition, other technological artifacts including Step-by-Step Private Automatic Branch Exchange, mobile phone exhibit, stepping switches etc all trace its evolution since 1870 right up until today’s wireless communication age are also housed here.
