Author: Morris Butler
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Telephone Historical Centre archieves

Telephone Historical Centre Archives in Old Strathcona offers an amazing collection of telecommunication history and equipment, and serves as an unparalleled resource that showcases innovation, technology and people.

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting Sheldon Hochheiser, the center’s corporate historian. He shared his extensive knowledge about its materials, history, and organizational quirks with me.

The History of the Telephone

Telephones have been one of the greatest innovations ever created. Allowing instantaneous communications over vast distances, phones have revolutionized how we live, work, and play – but as with all life-altering technologies they’ve also been exploited for malicious use.

Samuel Morse’s telegraph marked an early step in telephone technology. Although it allowed messages to be passed between locations, non-English letters required codes. Alexander Graham Bell set out to improve upon this communication method and ultimately invented the telephone.

Bell’s invention did not become a hit immediately; rather, he collaborated with many other innovators to perfect his design. Antonio Meucci invented an early predecessor device in 1850s, and Charles Bourseul and Louis Reis had already created wired sound transmitters before Bell made his breakthrough.

By 1876, only a few thousand telephones had been introduced into American households; by 1880 this figure had increased dramatically to over three million! By 1914, America led the world in terms of teledensity with more telephone lines than any other nation.

Not only was the telephone an invaluable means of communication among friends, family, and colleagues; it was also an essential business tool. Businesses could keep in touch with clients and customers as well as organize communications between urban areas and rural locales in America using this handy device.

The telephone is an exemplary example of how one idea can transform our world, leading to numerous devices we take for granted today – from electric telephones first introduced in the 1930s through today’s cell phones, many other groundbreaking inventions have resulted from telephone technology. Not only has this led to enhanced communications but has also opened up doors of opportunity for humankind.

The History of Edmonton

Edmonton, located in Alberta’s heartland, is an exciting urban hub teeming with culture and activity. While its skyline features towering buildings, its downtown core still retains the charming architecture that defines early-day Edmonton.

As part of Canada’s “Fertile Belt”, Winnipeg serves as a vital agricultural center, featuring grain farming and processing (particularly meat packing) as primary industries. Furthermore, its economy relies heavily on being both an important railway hub and port serving Canada’s western provinces.

Edmonton was long home to aboriginal tribes before it was ever settled by Europeans in 1795 with Fort Edmonton established on the North Saskatchewan River by Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). It’s likely that its name comes from Edmonton in England where HBC commander at that time lived and may even have come from where their commander came.

As soon as Strathcona and Edmonton combined in 1912, a sudden burst of growth occurred. Within months, Edmonton’s combined population had quickly exceeded 50,000; estimates suggest it may have even reached 75,000 by World War I’s start. Following that rapid period, Edmonton steadily expanded as an epicenter of regional wholesale trade and transportation services.

Early on in Edmonton’s development there were few regulations by government; individuals would often squat in their own homes or rent rooms for less than the market price. Over time however, as people became more settled they gained homesteading rights and property titles and regulations were implemented to safeguard against health and fire hazards.

The Telephone Historical Centre holds many valuable documents related to Edmonton and its telecommunication industry, from city directories from 1895 up until today, technical manuals dating back as far as 1838, technical manuals for telephone equipment dating to Alexander Graham Bell’s Liquid Transmitter in 1876 all the way up until modern mobile phones are created today.

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Telephone Historical Centre Visiting hours

Established by a group of retired telecom workers, this museum features an operational Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central-office switch as well as an operator switchboard, outside plant displays including poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools, poles of telephone-related items from its collection and hundreds of items related to phone use over time from wooden wall-mounted devices in the past to sleek cellular phones today. Visitors can see firsthand how far phone technology has progressed since solid wood wall-mounted phones with operator controls were first used!

Self-Guided Tours

The museum’s extensive collection documents over 100 years of telephone technology. Beginning with its first solid wooden, wall-mounted hand crank telephone to today’s pocket-sized touch screen cellular phones, its displays reflect how this revolutionary invention revolutionized our lives.

Our educational exhibits are created to spark the minds of people of all ages. They aim to foster curiosity in people that inspired Alexander Graham Bell’s groundbreaking invention while driving innovation that continues to advance telecommunications technology forward.

Roseville Telephone Museum offers an ideal venue for family outings, school field trips and group sight-seeing tours. Our docents are current and former ED TEL employees who love sharing the history of telephone with visitors. Furthermore, our mobile tour app makes exploring our museum easy at your own pace!

Group Tours

Telephones have become such an integral part of daily life that it is easy to forget their revolutionary nature just a century ago. At this museum you’ll gain a fascinating look into this remarkable invention’s history as well as those who created it.

Discover antique telephones, manual switchboards, the original phone booths, a working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switch, as well as telephone-related tools and displays of Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange (demonstrating its stepping switch principle), plus an outside plant exhibit including poles, cable, splicing equipment and other tools.

Group tours provide an excellent way for groups of ten or more to experience the museum and can save money by being booked four weeks in advance.

Special Events

A museum situated in an historic building offers an amazing collection of telephones, equipment and memorabilia for you to enjoy during a fun family outing, school field trip or group sightseeing tour experience.

The Museum is comprised of one-level exhibits with wheelchair access. These include an operator switchboard, military telephones from World War I through Gulf War, novelty phones in various shapes and sizes as well as a phone pole complete with climbing equipment – not to mention tons of memorabilia related to telephone use!

The Telecommunications History Group is a non-profit, 501(c) (3) organization founded in 1990 by both active and retired telecommunications employees who were appalled to see historic items being lost as buildings were demolished or departments no longer required them. THG strives to preserve this history for future generations.

Contact Us

The Telephone Historical Centre in Edmonton is dedicated to collecting, organizing, documenting, exhibiting and storing material related to the history of telecommunications in Edmonton. Established on December 3rd 1987 in Old Strathcona neighbourhood and later relocated to Prince of Wales Armouries location by 2004 for improved accessibility it operates under non-profit charitable organization with accreditation by Museums Alberta providing hands on exhibits that highlight communications principles as well as an extraordinary multi-media historical Telecommunication Theatre Show experience for visitors.

The facility houses an outstanding collection of working switching equipment, which makes for a wonderful attraction for visitors of all ages. One of the largest facilities of its type in North America, it remains an all-ages attraction despite having been established 31 years prior. However, due to relevancy concerns and financial issues related to building costs as a foundation’s motives for closing after 31 years in Edmonton.

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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.

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Telephone Historical Centre Outreach Programs

Mission of Our Museum Our mission is to show the public the invention, ingenuity, and industry of telecommunications from 1876 up until now by using working equipment as tangible evidence of this technology.

Students, researchers and anyone interested in Edmonton’s history can explore the THG Archives which contain an impressive collection of antique telephone directories dating back to the 1800s, technical books on telecomm technology and much more.

The History of the Telephone

The telephone has become one of the world’s greatest inventions. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to communicate instantly across continents. Now most take instant communication for granted but back before its creation life was much tougher.

Before the telephone revolutionized communication, people needed to send long distance messages using telegraph wires that only transmitted written text in Morse code – making spoken words unsuitable for transmission and lengthy or complex messages difficult to read remotely. With the telephone revolutionizing long distance communications by offering direct conversations across long distances as well as audio transmission capabilities.

Alexander Graham Bell is widely recognized as the inventor of the first telephone, yet other inventors such as Antonio Meucci, Thomas Edison, and Elisha Grey also created early versions. Over time this issue has become the subject of intense discussion, research, and even legal action.

The History of the Telecommunications Industry

By the early 1980s, most industrialized countries had established extensive wireline network systems to enable citizens and businesses to communicate instantaneously over long distances. Telecommunications companies quickly emerged as major employers with lucrative job offerings for linemen, cable splicers, station installers and switchboard operators that helped fuel rapid economic development of these nations.

Networks evolved, replacing circuit switching with packet switching and analog representations of voice, video, and data with digital ones. New technologies like cell phones, satellite TV, and the Internet also reduced reliance on wired networks.

Structure has also undergone dramatic transformation. Gone are the days when there was a single national telephone company; now multiple private operators networks often exist within any given country, complicating regulation by creating competing pressures on costs and infrastructure necessary for providing services.

Communications services often operate as interconnection businesses; capacity from one network may be shared among subscribers from different networks, leading to roaming charges. Sector policies tend to be highly complex and tariffs reflect this complexity; as a result, competition among providers can often be intense and barriers to entry can be quite high.

The History of Edmonton

Edmonton’s central location on the North Saskatchewan River valley has attracted settlement for millennia. A stone tool found inland from river’s shore in 1976 indicates continuous occupation during Prehistory period.

By the late 19th century, numerous small settlements had arisen along the riverbanks and in surrounding areas, each with their own individual identity. These villages provided homes to both Indigenous people and newcomers from all parts of the globe.

Edmonton became a regional wholesale trading and transportation center when the railway arrived in 1891, which saw economic development centred on various agricultural processing activities including meat packing.

After World War II, Edmonton experienced rapid population growth due to an explosion in oil industry activity which provided jobs, wealth and a new sense of civic pride for its citizens.

Edmonton’s history can be found throughout its buildings, artifacts and other historic sites throughout the city. Edmonton is also a center for research and technology innovation – including telephone systems. Public and private libraries in Edmonton offer extensive collections of local history materials to help discover your personal connection to this historic community. Published histories for districts or towns often provide volumes of biographical data on families – these histories can often be found at FamilySearch Library as well as most larger Canadian libraries.

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Telephone Historical Centre Collections

Explore Edmonton and Alberta’s telephone history through this unparalleled collection, which features working models of their early phones as well as an interactive switchboard.

From buried cables to rotary dial phones, this unique museum commemorates generations of individuals who built and maintained our phone network. Perfect for family trips!

Telephones

The Telephone Historical Centre Collections comprise an impressive range of items relating to telephones and their history, dating back to some of the earliest phones ever manufactured. A diverse array of styles is also represented here ranging from candlestick and box phones, through rotary dial and push button models.

One of the more intriguing phones was an original coffin-style wall phone, featuring three separate boxes: at its center was the transmitter; on top was housed a magneto or electric generator and switch hook for hanging up handset and bells; while below contained glass wet cell batteries.

These eclectic collections boast a working switching station, an archive of Guernsey’s telephone history and documents such as early local Telephone Directories. Furthermore, there is even a switchboard from Plains, home of President Jimmy Carter.

Telephone Kiosks

Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings in Bromsgrove houses a collection of 32 telephone kiosks used by British Telecom between 1920 and the 1990s – from every design used from their launch to their current use as part of our telephone heritage and in telling their incredible tale of revolutionizing lives worldwide.

GPO was eager to create a standardised kiosk and held a competition in 1924 to design it. Giles Gilbert Scott won, with his design becoming one of the first iconic kiosks with large windows and domed roof.

Today, kiosks remain an iconic and familiar sight. Protected as buildings of special interest by Historic England, changes may only be approved with their consent; however it can often be put to new uses such as housing community defibrillators or becoming mini museums; an initiative supported by BT under their Adopt a Kiosk scheme.

Telephone Exchanges

This collection details the evolution of telephone exchanges from their early manual operations to automated systems. Telephones were an important milestone in communications technology that revolutionized how people conducted business or kept in touch across great distances with friends and family members.

Today we take for granted being able to contact anyone around the globe by simply dialing a number; yet this success was only made possible thanks to Alexander Graham Bell.

The Telephone Historical Centre features an expansive and rare collection of telephone equipment including specialty phones such as the gourd phone used to report President McKinley’s assassination or fancy “flip-top” phones. Also featured is a switchboard featuring manikins of typical operators as well as hundreds of glass insulators, manuals, tools, photographs detailing telephone history in Alberta as well as photographs that capture its rich heritage – making this museum truly enjoyable to explore! It makes a wonderful family outing!

Telecommunications Equipment

This museum presents not only working telephone switchboards and related telecommunication equipment, but also features many items related to the history of telephone industry such as motor-generators that convert battery backup power to AC current to power ring city telephones; linemen’s pole climbing stirrups; as well as displays of office telephone computer machines.

This collection allows visitors to stretch their imaginations and imagine what it must have been like using one of the earliest forms of telephone communication – fun, educational and enjoyable for people of all ages!

At a time when people have become accustomed to instant, multimedia communication with mobile phones in their pockets, it’s important to recall the technology that made long-distance connections possible. This exhibition honors and recognizes those who built and maintained physical phone networks across America – celebrating their craftsmanship, ingenuity, and industry in doing so.

All rights are reserved by Telephone Historic Center

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