Few inventions have had as significant an impact on society as the telephone. Museums dedicated to this historical phenomenon can bring its past alive through interactive displays like old crank phones and switchboard panels.
Established by retired ED TEL employees and opened on December 3rd 1987, this specialty museum in Edmonton is accredited with Museums Alberta. It boasts a working Panel and Crossbar Electromechanical Central Office Switch as well as an operator switchboard as well as displays of poles wires splicing equipment tools and more outside plant displays.
Free Admission
The Telephone Historical Centre offers visitors a glimpse into the development of communications technology over time. Boasting replicas of Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame and Thomas Watson’s Thumper Phone as well as classic candlestick wall telephones, operator switchboards, novelty phones and hundreds of other items – the Telephone Historical Centre stands out as one of the largest museums of its kind in North America.
Established by active and retired ED TEL employees, the museum opened on December 3, 1987 in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona neighborhood before moving to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre for improved accessibility in 2004. Operated as a non-profit charitable organization with accreditation by Museums Alberta, its collection comprises antique telephones, equipment, memorabilia and even an innovative multi-media historic Telecommunication Theatre Show experience.
The Museum offers an extensive research archive, housing microfilm copies of early directories and at-risk scrapbooks and binders which contain valuable communications history information. It also boasts an operational Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switch, operator switchboards, a Step-by-Step Private Automatic Branch Exchange Exhibit which demonstrates stepping switching principles as well as outdoor plant displays such as poles, cables, splicing tools and antique line insulators – providing visitors with plenty of insight into communications history.
Exhibits
The Telephone Historical Centre boasts one of the largest collections of antique telecommunications equipment in North America, from solid wood wall-mounted phones to blackberries and satellite phones – providing visitors with an opportunity to learn about how communications have evolved over time.
The Telephone Historical Centre also features an operational Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office step switch and operator switchboard; antique line insulators; an extensive cataloged telecommunications reference library; membership fees and research grants as well as educational outreach via their Traveling Trunks program. The museum serves as a non-profit organization supported by membership fees, research grants and travel grants from contributors like yourself.
The Museum stands out among phone and telecommunications museums by inviting visitors to interact with its artifacts. This allows for an engaging, unique experience for visitors of all ages; visitors can try out crank phones, operate on its working manual switchboard and even use vintage handsets! Group and individual tours are also offered at the museum.
Contact Us
At a time when historical artifacts are rapidly disappearing from buildings as old ones are demolished or departments no longer require them, the Telecommunications History Group was formed to preserve them and their associated history. Composed of both active and retired telecom professionals who recognize this need to safeguard this important part of their company’s legacy, its membership includes an array of historical resources.
Established by ED TEL retirees in 1987 and opening to the public on December 3rd 1987 in an Old Strathcona building, the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre became its final location in 2004.
The museum provides an unforgettable hands-on experience, inviting you to touch, hold and interact with its original artifacts. From our Step-by-Step Private Automatic Branch Exchange exhibit to plant displays featuring poles, cables, splicing tools and antique line insulators – our museum will give children through adults an educationally exciting educational journey!
