Author: Morris Butler
music No Comments

The Telephone Historical Centre in Edmonton was an innovative museum dedicated to early technology history that closed its doors due to relevancy and financial issues in 2019, but its one-of-a-kind collection remains an interesting look at Edmonton’s technological legacy.

The Telephone Historical Centre is located in an old exchange building in Old Strathcona and features Xeldon the talking robot as well as amazing historical footage and archives which make for fascinating viewing.

Xeldon the Talking Robot

The telephone revolutionized human communications – it allowed real-time conversations across oceans and continents, eventually reaching everywhere on earth. Edmonton Museum’s one of the largest of its kind in North America offers an engaging look back into this groundbreaking technology from Alexander Graham Bell’s gallows frame phone in his attic workshop to today’s pocket cellular phones.

The museum contains working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central-office switches, outside plant displays such as poles, wires and splicing equipment as well as a cataloged telecommunications reference library. Established by former employees of ED TEL in 1987 in Old Strathcona’s former telephone exchange building before moving to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre downtown Edmonton in 2004.

Joan makes check-in easy and seamless for visitors, eliminating paper sign-in forms in favor of digital invites and QR codes that offer instant notifications so hosts/receptionists can prepare for guests ahead of time. And with Xeldon the talking robot as part of this attraction for guests of all ages, check-in can take place quickly and smoothly!

The History of the Telephone

This museum exhibits the creativity and craftsmanship associated with telephone technology for over 2600 years! It boasts an extensive collection of antique telephone equipment spanning from working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical Central Office switches, operator exchange reconstructions, glass insulators poles cables splicing equipment as well as glass insulators poles cables splicing equipment.

The museum was established by retired ED TEL employees and opened its doors for business in 1987 in an Old Strathcona telephone exchange building. Since then, it has grown exponentially to become one of the largest telephone museums in North America – attracting school field trips, sightseeing tours and group visits alike.

This collection features an exceptional assortment of historical documents and books that chronicle technological developments, from Alexander Graham Bell’s first patent from 1876 to telephone directories from Edmonton and technical manuals – it will certainly impress and enlighten anyone interested in telecom history! This astounding display will inspire any student of telecom history!

The Archives

This collection of antique telephones and switching equipment pays homage to generations of employees who erected poles, buried cables and developed revolutionary communications technology that revolutionized communication for us all. Ranging from solid wood wall-mounted phones with manual dialing mechanisms that required operator assistance through to modern touchscreen cell phones that provide communications solutions, this museum honors communications history’s creativity, craftsmanship and ingenuity.

Established by retired telecommunications industry employees, this museum provides a captivating experience for anyone interested in telephone history. With working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switches as well as reconstruction of an operator exchange with glass insulators poles cables splicing equipment – this one-of-a-kind museum will surely delight telecom collectors!

This collection offers unique original volumes like The Telephone: An Account of Electricity, Magnetism and Sound by Professor A.E Dolbear published a year after Bell invented it in 1877. Also featured are vintage telephone directories and technical manuals.

The Gift Shop

The Telephone Historical Centre offers a fascinating history of communications technology. Their educational programs bring these two worlds together by providing comparisons between modern telecommunications with vintage technology.

This museum boasts an impressive collection of telephones and related equipment. Additionally, there are historic photographs, news articles, memorabilia, antique phones and much more that make up its impressive assortment. It ranks among one of the nation’s premier collections of antique phones and memorabilia.

Established by retired employees from Edmonton Telephone Exchange Limited (ED TEL), the Edmonton Telephone Historical Centre was an ardent effort by retired ED TEL employees to preserve Edmonton’s legacy in telecom. Through group tours and direct engagement with artifacts, visitors were given insight into how communication technologies had progressed through time in Edmonton.

Although the foundation that supported Telhodle Historical Centre dissolved in 2019, their dedication to preserving Edmonton’s communications history remains strong – serving as an important example of how an effective preservation effort can make an impactful statement about a community’s dedication.

Uncategorized No Comments

This museum houses one of the world’s finest collections of antique telephone equipment and memorabilia, dating back to before 1900. Exhibits showcase and commemorate over 100 years of communications technology development worldwide.

Established by retirees of ED TEL in 1987 and housed now within Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in central Edmonton, this fascinating museum opened to the public is one of North America’s largest phone museums – perfect for family outings or school field trips!

Visiting Hours

Telephone Historical Centre is one of North America’s premier hands-on museums, housing an expansive collection of telephones and other forms of telecommunication equipment spanning more than 100 years of communication technology. Opened on December 3, 1987 in Old Strathcona neighborhood before moving two years later to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre for better exhibit display; now considered among Edmonton’s premier attractions it makes a great family outing, school field trip destination, or group sightseeing tour stop.

The Museum showcases a diverse array of artifacts, ranging from simple wooden wall-mounted devices to complex ones of today. Visitors can witness how communication technology has developed over time; visitors can witness its influence on society. At the Telephone Historical Centre there is a collection of phones from all around the world dating back to as early as 1878 when Alexander Graham Bell first invented his phone!

Hours of Operation

The Telephone Historical Centre is one of North America’s premier hands-on telephone museums, featuring working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches; operator switchboards; antique telephones and telecom tools; an outdoor plant exhibit with poles cables and splicing equipment as well as an extensive telecom reference library. Operated entirely by volunteers representing Southwestern Bell and AT&T employees both current and retired – it offers something for every phone enthusiast!

The museum is dedicated to preserving telephone history for future generations. It was founded when a group of AT&T retirees and current employees recognized that many historical items from AT&T buildings were being lost as they were demolished or put out of service.

Herb Warrick, a retired PBX operator and member of Charles B Hopkins No 30 Telephone Pioneers of America (a non-profit fraternal organization of long-serving and retired phone company employees). It opened for visitors on December 3, 1987 in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona neighbourhood but two years later moved to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre for better accessibility.

Admission

This museum boasts one of the finest collections of antique telephones in the nation, and showcases their evolution over one century from Alexander Graham Bell’s patent in 1876 until mobile technology. A great spot for family outings, school field trips or sightseeing tour groups alike!

Telecom Pioneers, a non-profit 501(c)(3) Bell System employee service organization, manages this museum. It features working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office step switches as well as antique telephones and switchboards. Furthermore, outdoor plant displays featuring poles cables splicing tools equipment as well as an exhaustive telecommunication reference library are also featured at this facility.

Established by retired ED TEL employees in 1987 and relocated two years later to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in central Edmonton, this museum ranks among North America’s largest telephone museums. Its engaging displays explore the development of phone technology from early phones through advanced smart phones of today; visitors will experience hands-on equipment demonstrations as well as guided tours from knowledgeable docents (current or retired telecommunications employees offering guided tours throughout the facility).

Tours

A museum dedicated to telecommunications history features working equipment that highlights more than a century of innovation, with working Central Office Step Switch, Operator Switchboards and hundreds of telephone-related items from its collection. Furthermore, this museum houses one of North America’s largest telecommunications reference libraries and also fosters enthusiasm for engineering by showing how technology has progressed from wooden wall phones to sleek cell phone technology over time.

This museum boasts an exceptional collection of Edison insulators, an electromechanical central office step switch working properly, antique telephones and many phone-related items – including tools! As one of the world’s premier phone museums it makes an ideal destination for family outings, school field trips or group sightseeing tours.

The museum is run by an enthusiastic group of volunteers from Pacific Northwest Bell – many current and retired employees alike – with Herb Warrick serving as its founding curator.

music No Comments

Telephone Historical Centre offers visitors an interactive telephone museum experience. A popular spot for school field trips and sightseeing tours alike.

Docents (both current and retired ED TEL employees who volunteer their time as docents) provide visitors with a knowledgeable tour of the exhibits, featuring working operator switchboards, outside plant displays featuring poles, lines and splicing tools, crank wall phones and novelty phones.

Exhibits

This museum, housed in a restored 1920s cotton warehouse, showcases an extensive selection of old phones, switch equipment and other telecommunication devices from Alexander Graham Bell’s time through to novelty Princess phones and flip phones – providing both an enjoyable and educational experience for visitors.

This non-profit museum was established by former employees of ED TEL to preserve the history of telecommunications technology. The exhibits trace Alexander Graham Bell’s gallows frame phone all the way through today’s mobile devices.

The Museum offers a recreation of an old telephone exchange, displays of glass insulators and antique phones as well as replicas of early telephones such as Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame Telephone and Thomas A. Watson’s Thumper Phone from their original manufacturing dates; plus the first phone imported into Edmonton by Dominion Telegraph Agent Alexander Taylor himself! Ideal for group tours, school field trips and family outings alike – make this your destination of choice today.

Education

Few inventions have had as profound an effect on human communication as the telephone. Its journey from humble origins to powerful communication tool is well documented across museums and historical centres worldwide.

Telephone history centres often offer interactive learning experiences for children and adults to experience the development of technology first-hand. These museums can make excellent family outings, school field trip destinations or sightseeing tour stops; many museums also host educational workshops about telecom technology.

Telephone Workshops is a development project to evaluate the effects of a sustained STEM style education program that encourages young people to become engineers. Evaluation involves gathering multi-year formative evaluation data on participants’ engineering interest, knowledge of electric theory as a mathematical ratio, taking apart and wiring components, knowledge of historic technical events and semiconductor technology as well as its scalability within multiple communities and schools; donations help keep our museum open to the public.

Events

The Museum offers special events and tours, as well as opportunities for group tours of our equipment to help students explore communication history and development.

Explore and appreciate one of North America’s largest collections of telephones, equipment and memorabilia with us – an enjoyable family outing, school field trip or great addition to a sightseeing tour! We look forward to having you visit.

The Museum offers an engaging learning experience from Alexander Graham Bell’s simple box-shaped telephone to today’s sleek cellular phones – there is no better way to discover and experience communication history! Instead of just viewing museum exhibits without getting involved themselves, visitors to the National Telephone Museum can sit at a manual switchboard and act as operator to connect a call for themselves. The Museum features working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches, outside plant displays featuring poles, cables and splicing equipment, as well as a catalogued telephone-related reference library. Volunteers are key to the Museum’s success, aiding with tours, youth activity tables and cataloguing artifacts (many volunteers possess formal artifact handling or library/archives experience). Museums Alberta recognizes us as an official member.

Contact

Dependent upon where their center is situated, visitors can witness an array of telephones and equipment – including working switching gear – on display. This museum houses one of the finest collections of telecommunications technology in the country: wooden box phones, candlestick phones and classic rotary phones are among its exhibits; additionally it also contains many cases filled with Edison insulators in various shapes and sizes.

This museum was established by retired employees of ED TEL in 1987 and first located at an historic Old Strathcona telephone exchange building before moving to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in Central Edmonton. Knowledgeable docents – current and retired ED TEL employees volunteering their time – guide visitors through its displays of phone equipment while explaining how various pieces work.

This fun attraction provides a wonderful experience for kids and adults of all ages alike, making a visit to Edmonton’s Telephone Historical Centre an integral part of any tour itinerary.

My Blog No Comments

Our museum boasts an extraordinary collection of telephones and related telecommunications equipment, from Alexander Graham Bell’s workshop to a working step-by-step private automatic branch exchange that illustrates the stepping switch principle, along with exquisite glass insulators collections.

From rotary phones to modern cell phones, visitors discover the history of this fascinating technology. Phones were associated with profit and pleasure as well as progress and even divine service!

Volunteer Opportunities

The Telephone Historical Centre was founded in 1987 in Edmonton Alberta as an acquisition, research, organization, documentation, exhibition, and storage center dedicated to telecom history materials. Housed at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre it offers hands on exhibits that illustrate communication principles as well as hosting the Telecommunications Theatre Show – ideal for connecting science, history, and art together! Volunteer opportunities range from tours and youth activity tables to cataloguing artifacts (some volunteer have formal artifact handling/library/archives experience!).

USO Port Authority/Times Square Center Volunteer – Assist military members and their families as they deploy or wait for loved ones to come home, with shifts available throughout the day.

Exhibits

The museum features an impressive collection of telephone equipment and memorabilia. Many artifacts were put on display thanks to volunteer efforts who reached out to former telephone workers asking them about their equipment. As a result, garage and shed belongings came pouring in, many being brought directly to the museum for display.

The System Room exhibit offers an interactive timeline of telephone innovations with full-scale mannequin displays of working crossbar switchboards. Other exhibits demonstrate technology from solid wood operator directed wall phones to cell phones – perfect for showing kids how far phones have come since their invention! These displays serve as an engaging way to introduce children to this milestone in communication history.

The museum also offers its Telephone Workshops program, which fosters enthusiasm for engineering by using electric theory and mathematics to compare modern semiconductor architecture with historic artifacts from America’s fascinating telecom history. Participants use screw drivers and hands-on activities to explore this invisible world using physical and mathematical analogies.

Telecommunications Theatre Show

The Museum boasts one of the world’s largest collections of telephones and telecommunication equipment from Alexander Graham Bell’s first box-shaped prototype to modern touch screen cellular phones, working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches, outside plant displays of poles cables splicing equipment as well as a catalogued library dedicated to telecom.

Proponents of telecommunication in the late 1800’s associated its invention with profit, comfort and pleasure; rural people could access centers of culture, commerce and power via potential connections provided by telephone lines; however it also challenged traditional beliefs and norms, leading to many diverse meanings associated with telephone use such as “divine service” or even a sinful network.

Our Telephone Workshops aim to foster enthusiasm for engineering by taking advantage of America’s long and rich telephone history as an activity which emphasizes electric theory and hands-on experience with old and new telephones. Each workshop also includes formative evaluation which collects baseline data regarding participants’ STEM experiences, knowledge, understanding and appreciation of telecommunications history and technology.

Education Programs

Explore the Museum’s collection with hands-on workshops designed to foster young engineers. Leveraging America’s rich telephone history, participants will learn fundamentals of electricity and telecom principles from vintage technology while exploring modern day semiconductor architecture in relation to vintage devices – tapping into that same curiosity that gave rise to telephones but continues to fuel engineers today.

The Telephone Historical Centre is an acquisition, research, organization, documentation, exhibition and storage center dedicated to telecom history materials. Their mission is to connect science, history and art through exhibits and facilities for people of all ages.

THG operates two museums, an extensive telecommunications archive and educational outreach program. As part of this initiative, they conduct an innovative phone call project whereby they contact home care patients directly to refer them for services as needed; data on this initiative are then analyzed and reported on annually; all information regarding patients remains de-identified to protect privacy.

Uncategorized No Comments

Telephone Historical Centre Collections

The Telephone Historical Centre Collections boast an impressive array of telecommunications technology. Visitors of all ages will find something fun and educational at this captivating center.

There’s plenty to see at the Museum, from wooden wall-mounted phones and rotary dials to manual switchboards – each offering an insight into the vital role telecommunications played and plays today in our lives.

Collections

The museum features room after room of phones spanning from wooden wall-mounted versions to modern rotary dial models, from early wooden wall phones to more recently produced rotary dial models. Also on display are operator switchboards and equipment along with hundreds of phone-related items and tools.

Gary Hocker of Gary Hocker Architecture designed an exclusive building to house our collection. After many hours spent carefully placing items and documents, many hours went into assembling it all for our visitors to enjoy.

This collection is organized to give visitors an engaging journey through communications technology history and demonstrate its development over time. No matter whether you are interested in history, technology or former phone technicians – this museum offers something for everyone. Entertaining without being silly; insightful without becoming boring; surprising without becoming convoluted – all hallmarks of a great institution! This small local institution managed to achieve all three feats with thanks to all involved individuals and organizations collaborating towards its success.

Exhibits

The museum features exhibits that illustrate the development of communications from smoke signals to text messaging, including operator switchboards, a replica of Alexander Graham Bell’s workshop model, complete telephone poles with climbing equipment and hundreds of pieces of telephone-related memorabilia.

The exhibits also highlight all those involved with making telecommunications possible, from those erecting poles and laying cables, to taking calls at exchanges or users’ homes – each person played an essential part in revolutionizing how we communicate today.

One of the highlights of Edmonton Museum’s collection are manual system telephones first introduced here in 1885. This method involved sending signal patterns via switchboard operators at telephone exchanges to rotary dial phones connected by wire. Only two other museums worldwide can currently display full-size manual system telephones.

Programs

The Museum features antique telephones and related telecommunications technology dating from Alexander Graham Bell’s original patent in 1876 to automated switches that replaced manual system exchanges in 1985. Furthermore, visitors can interact with an interactive Central Office switching system located here.

Cord pairs allow users to connect to local and long distance phone lines – similar to the old system – using special codes or direct dialed numbers, similar to direct-dialing other cities. A Kellogg Universal Switchboard displays how operators connected telephone circuits via toggle switches.

The Museum offers a unique opportunity to foster enthusiasm for engineering through telephones and their predecessors. Our ‘Telephone Workshops’ foster enthusiasm through hands-on activities that combine electric theory, math and the power of a screw driver – unveiling a hidden world of invisible electricity and telecom technology.

Contact Us

Since 1994, this museum founded by pioneer volunteers has collected artifacts that span US telephony history. Funded through membership dues, research fees, and grants.

This museum, situated within Jefferson Barracks Park and belonging to the Independent Telephone Pioneers Association, boasts interactive exhibits that demonstrate how telephones were once used in past decades. Furthermore, visitors will see rare pieces from all aspects of Bell System as part of its permanent collections.

Edmonton’s Telephone Museum is the largest of its kind in North America, as well as being Canada’s only telephone museum of its kind. Focused on providing historical details about Edmonton telephone usage, educational programs for children and students are provided here as well. Managed by the Foundation – comprised of retired ED TEL employees – who recently decided to dissolve, citing relevancy issues as well as financial considerations as reasons behind their vote to dissolve.

All rights are reserved by Telephone Historic Center

MENU

Navigation