The Telephone Historical Centre is a museum of communications history. Among its exhibits are old crank wall phones, decorator telephones and working switchboards that visitors can interact with directly.
Also included are working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches, outside plant displays of poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools, and a cataloged telecommunications reference library.
The History of the Telephone
Though Alexander Graham Bell is widely recognized as the inventor of the telephone, other inventors made invaluable contributions. Antonio Meucci began work on his telephone design as early as 1849 and filed an official notice that they intended to file an official patent application later; unfortunately he couldn’t afford the fees and thus his patent application was declined.
Meucci’s acoustic telephone, created using mechanical vibrations, conveyed sound over long wires using mechanical vibrations. However, this was far inferior to the electric telephone created by Bell and first demonstrated at Philadelphia’s Centennial Exposition in 1876. Contrary to popular belief, when Bell famously exclaimed “Mr. Watson, come here — I want you!” he wasn’t dropping acid on himself but had heard something strange come over the telegraph wire and summoned his assistant for closer examination.
Hands-On Exhibits
Today, making telephone calls seems effortless: all it takes is one click for us to be talking with our mothers in Philadelphia or best friends in New York. But this wasn’t always so convenient: Edmonton’s Telephone Museum features antique phone artifacts and replicas that show its transition from manual switching to automatic switching systems.
Visitors can test out a working switchboard and learn about manual telephone systems. Plus, visitors can witness and touch some of the electro-mechanical marvels which led to modern cell phones.
The Telephone Historical Centre was established by ED TEL retirees in 1987 at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in Edmonton and offered hands on and fun exhibits suitable for visitors of all ages. However, due to relevance issues, financial hardship, structural challenges, and succession planning; its dissolution occurred in 2019. The Telephone Historical Foundation provided reasons for disbandment which included relevancy considerations, financial issues, structural challenges and succession planning considerations as reasons.
Educational Programs
Teachers and students can explore all the ways the telephone has changed lives through visits to The Telephone Museum’s engaging exhibits that show how communications technology has developed from Alexander Graham Bell’s attic workshop to modern wireless systems.
Our museum houses both an extensive telephone equipment collection and a reference library of books, catalogs and technical journals that pertain to telephones. Through ‘Telephone Workshops’ for children and young adults alike, they can explore electricity and engineering with old and modern telephones while cultivating their inherent curiosity – similar to what drove the invention of first telephones!
As part of its outreach program, equipment from the museum is loaned out to other museums and organizations across the United States for display at their respective shows and museums – for instance in Illinois at Gridley Telephone Museum; Minnesota’s Roseville Telephone Museum; Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital’s Rehabilitation Research and Technology Development Building as well as Wildrose Antique Show where some novelty phones from our collection were displayed.
Admission
The Telephone Historical Centre is an interactive museum that encourages interaction with its exhibits. Admissions is by donation; group discounts may also be available.
The Telephone History Centre was established to collect, research, organize, document, exhibit and store historical materials pertaining to Edmonton’s telecom industry. First opened on December 3, 1987 in Old Strathcona before moving its location in 2004 – currently within Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre –
The museum houses a vast collection of original telephones dating back to 1878 – two years after Alexander Graham Bell invented it – on display. Other exhibits include an operator switchboard, step-by-step private automatic branch exchange (demonstrating the stepping switch principle) and display of telephone-related equipment dating from 1920s cellular phones right up until today’s smartphones. Furthermore, all exhibits are located on one floor for easy wheelchair accessibility; additionally it is an accredited member of Museums Alberta.
