The Telecommunications History Group, a nonprofit corporation, manages the Telephone Historical Centre as well as operating an extensive research archive of telecommunications history. Furthermore, this entity manages both its Connections Museum and extensive telecommunications research archive.

Tours of the Bell family home and Canada’s first telephone office can be booked ahead with THG for guided visits that may also include limited diagnosis and repair of older telephones.

General Admission

The museum exhibits showcase telephone equipment from all eras. Visitors will gain a deep appreciation for how this revolutionary invention has revolutionized human communication over time.

Exhibits at this museum include an entire Clinton Central Office switchboard; a Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange (demonstrating stepping switch principle); a mobile phone exhibit tracing its development from 1980s car phones to today’s handheld devices; as well as many other fascinating artifacts.

Visitors can explore the Museum on their own, or join a guided tour. Group tours for groups of eight or more are available hourly from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with last entry 30 minutes before closing time. General admission tickets are valid during museum operating hours on your day of visit. It is operated by Telecommunications History Group – a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation operating a research archive in Denver.

Self-Guided Tours

Historical attractions or museums that host self-guided tours can greatly benefit from offering them. Not only will guests find them convenient and beneficial, but you will be able to limit group sizes while lightening the burden on tour guides.

The museum boasts an extensive collection of early wall phones spanning solid wood models to the sleek modern devices now ubiquitous worldwide. Visitors can witness first-hand how telecommunications have developed from Alexander Graham Bell through to today’s mobile phones.

The Telephone Historical Centre offers self-guided paths designed to offer visitors a more customized experience. Each path features an interactive map with suggested points of interest to visit, including informational museum plaques and audio, immersive panoramic photos featuring up to 10 embedded hotspots that highlight more specific stories or historical facts, scannable links, Goosechase Experiences or scannable links that create a fully customized tour experience that they’ll want to tell their friends about!

Group Tours

The Roseville Telephone Museum boasts one of the largest collections in North America. The exhibits document and celebrate more than 100 years of communications technology use within Roseville and internationally, including some phones which ring or even dial! Many phones on display can even ring!

It is an ideal place for both children and adults alike, providing learning, fun, and history at every turn. All staff and volunteers at Telecom Pioneers – an educational non-profit 501(c)(3) organization – are current or former Bell System employees with years of service under their belts.

Visitors to the museum can see how telephone technology has progressed over time, from Alexander Graham Bell’s original wall-mounted and hand-cranked model to an exact replica of the phone that announced “Mr. Watson, I need you!” There are also mechanical switchboards and a Step-by-Step private automatic branch exchange demonstrating its stepping switch principle on display, along with a wide variety of insulators spanning various shapes, sizes and colors – perfect for family visits, school field trips and sight-seeing tour groups alike!

Special Events

The Museum boasts an expansive collection of telephones and related equipment from all eras. Additionally, working pieces provide tangible evidence of an evolving technology. We celebrate the ingenuity, craftsmanship and industry that built this vital communication network that has transformed human life from drums and smoke signals to modern cell phones in every aspect.

Discover how things work at this hands-on, how things work telephone museum with one of North America’s largest collections! Enjoy an interactive family experience, educational field trip or group outing here.

Housed in an impressive 1906 building, the New Mexico Communications History Museum provides an incredible array of communications history in an accessible and enjoyable manner. Operated as a 501(c) non-profit corporation by volunteer Pioneers and Bell System retirees as a non-profit corporation, funding comes from membership dues, research fees and grants; its website remains ad-free.

From rotary dial phones to mobiles, this collection of artifacts traces the development of communications technology. Additionally, they pay tribute to generations of men and women who built telephone networks by erecting poles, burying cables underground, designing technology platforms to operate them, installing them into homes and businesses and installing telephones themselves.

Rogers Kaufman, retired president of Gridley Telephone Company, spent years collecting items and documents with hopes of opening a museum in downtown Gridley.

Telephone Directories

Telephone directories (commonly referred to as white and yellow pages, phone books, contact lists or contact directories) contain alphabetically-arranged lists of residential and business telephone subscribers that include their names, street addresses and phone numbers in one section and business type information in another. At The Telephone Historical Centre Collections we hold an impressive selection of white and yellow directories.

Telephone directories can be an invaluable source for uncovering more information about how our ancestors lived and worked, chart transit maps, locate seat numbers at stadiums or restaurants and even finding the zip code of an ancestral hometown.

Before phone companies started charging for directory assistance, many people turned to local telephone directories as an effective way of circumventing such fees. Today, online directories make accessing yellow or white pages more convenient while still serving its core purpose: helping us locate those we need to contact.

Telephone Equipment

This collection celebrates the equipment that enabled telecommunication and pays tribute to generations of men and women who worked tirelessly on its establishment: they installed poles and cables underground, designed and managed technology used for its operation, installed telephones in people’s homes and businesses and more.

Our Collection boasts some of the oldest and most intriguing pieces of telephone equipment ever manufactured, such as the iconic red K-6 British call box made available to us by an enthusiastic Seattle radio amateur (or “ham”).

Subscribers lease equipment from their phone company, such as operator switchboards and hundreds of phones rented to subscribers from that provider. There are lit glass racks filled with candlestick and box phones; there are rotary dials; there are even novelty telephones like McKinley phones used over 100 years ago to report his assassination – these items make great collectibles!

Telephone Networks

Telecommunications have undergone immense change since Alexander Graham Bell first created his attic workshop back in 1876. This section of the museum traces this journey, detailing technological innovations and businesses which have emerged since.

The collection boasts an assortment of phone-related artifacts from field phones used during anti-Japanese war to office phones that once dominated business to home phones of various types and more.

This collection also provides an insight into the network that has been built to transport and route all these calls – such as networks using copper wires to connect homes and offices across cities and states; more automatic systems connecting customers directly to the national Public Switched Telephone Network; as well as modern wireless cellular phone networks using microwave technology that relay signals between cell towers and our phones – this virtual museum serves as an invaluable source of historical knowledge about all these networks.

Telephones

Telephone Historical Centre Collections showcase an astounding history of technological development since Alexander Graham Bell first patented his basic design. These telephones honor generations of individuals who worked tirelessly to construct and manage public switched telephone networks through erection of poles, burial of cables, designing technology platforms and making everything function efficiently.

This collection offers something for everyone – from general audiences and collectors, to telecom historians. It features working switching equipment and 32 kiosks of various designs as well as an operator switchboard from Winter Park Telephone Company as well as numerous home phones.

The museum is particularly proud of its gourd telephone, an innovative wall variation on the box phone which allowed executives to communicate with their assistants or courtiers from an anteroom without breaking stratification between lower and upper classes and providing security. It also contains many telephones from local homes – including one which enabled a grocery store owner to personally take orders from his customers on his personal line.

The Telephone Historical Centre’s collection of telephones and related equipment pays a fitting tribute to generations of workers who put up poles, laid cable lines, and pioneered technologies that transformed communications forever.

Explores Alexander Graham Bell’s revolutionary invention with family papers, diaries and scientific notebooks from his life and time in service of this fascinating project.

The History of the Telephone

The telephone has revolutionized how people communicate, as well as creating an industry. This exhibition examines its origin and the technology that made telephony possible.

This exhibition pays a fitting homage to those who created, maintained, and managed the telephone network over generations of time. They must erect poles, bury cables, oversee technology management systems, install telephones in homes and businesses across America and train people on how best to use them.

Alexander Graham Bell may be best known as the inventor of the telephone, but Antonio Meucci played an integral role in its creation as well. Discover Antonio Meucci’s tale when he created a device known as the Teletrophono in 1860 and filed a caveat (an official notice that someone will file an official patent later) in 1871 – you’ll be able to see one of its prototypes at our exhibit! You will also gain insight into telephone exchanges which were established as ways of interconnecting pairs of telephones together.

The Bell Collection

The Bell collection consists of photographs, drawings and documents. A majority of the photographs in the Bell collection are negatives rather than prints; many were taken by amateur snappers but many also produced professional photographs or even made in Alfred Lobo’s camera!

This collection also boasts drawings, paintings and blueprints. Of particular note are its maps: from ancient surviving world maps that feature all five continents to impressive six panel maps like Kunyu wanguo quantu (Complete Geographical Map of Ten Thousand Countries).

The Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers document his relationship with his family. There are scientific notebooks, blueprints, diaries, articles and correspondence in addition to typed transcripts of many handwritten letters written in order to make them easier for users; though these transcriptions can provide great value as part of an archive collection they cannot replace the original letter itself.

The New Hampshire Telephone Museum

For anyone with an interest in telephones, the New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner is well worth a visit. It details their development from Alexander Graham Bell’s original invention through today’s smart phones.

The museum boasts an impressive array of old phones, from wooden wall mounted phones and candlestick phones to princess phones and flip phones. There’s also a working switchboard and group of linemen’s tools; visitors can explore independently or take advantage of knowledgeable staff members to offer guided tours.

Alderic “Dick” Violette and his family have worked in telecommunications for more than 85 years, beginning as field workers before being promoted to manager at Merrimack County Telephone (MCT) in his hometown of Warner. Today, his collection of more than 1000 artifacts can be seen here in addition to Gary Mitchell’s from Woodbury Telephone Company as well as various donated items from members of the public.

The Telephone Archives

No matter your position within education or research, or even simply as a curious individual, the archives contain material that allows you to delve into the history of telecommunications. Our collection features vintage telephone directories dating from 1895 up until present day; technical manuals documenting technological development; and books that discuss its significance.

Archives also hold an array of artifactual material such as scrapbooks, employee awards and commemorative items that demonstrate the depth and breadth of Southern New England Telephone Company and its historical impact in Connecticut.

The Archives are home to several payphone kiosks, such as a Mercury pay phone and KX100 Plus Internet Kiosks that were last deployed by British Telecom during the 90s. We use these in our ‘Telephone Workshops’ so students and young adults can gain knowledge in engineering through mathematics and electrical theory by working with old and new phones.

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.

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.