The Telephone Historical Centre is one of America’s premier facilities of its kind. It boasts an impressive collection of working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switch equipment; antique phones; outside plant displays (poles, wire and splicing tools); as well as an expansive catalogued reference library.

Archive collections hold original volumes dating back to 1877 – just a year after Alexander Graham Bell first patented his revolutionary telephone device – including The Speaking Telephone which contains detailed diagrams.

Hello Montreal!

Montreal, Canada’s jazz capital and successor to Emile Berliner’s innovations in phonography, has long been known for its vibrant rhythms of jazz music. From its glory days during Prohibition – when Sin-City was known to attract musicians – to today’s vibrant clubs that host great live jazz performances seven nights a week – Montreal has long been home to great musical offerings that can be heard here.

Hello Montreal!, an exhibition put together by Pointe-a-Calliere and Bell, provides an engaging journey through the evolution of telephony through its many forms. Additionally, this display explores some of the latest technologies on the horizon. Enjoy!

The Virtual Museum of Telecommunications

No matter your passion for telephone networks and inventions that came before them, this virtual museum provides a fascinating look into communications history. Hosted by Telecommunications History Group (THG), an independent non-profit established by retired ED TEL employees concerned that much of Canada’s telecom history was being lost as buildings were torn down or departments closed down, the THG is an unprecedented collection that brings you all this fascinating content in one convenient place.

Today, The Heritage Group includes two physical museums (Connections Museum Denver and Seattle) as well as an impressive archive. Both these resources are maintained and expanded through an innovative model of collaboration among heritage institutions; this model expands upon traditional notions of museum practice by inviting multiple parties to contribute towards its creation and curation, thus reflecting changing natures of museum practice in digital age.

The Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum

The Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum offers a unique collection of telephone-related artifacts. Housed in a restored 1896 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places and situated within Jefferson Barracks Park 15 minutes south of St Louis, it provides self-guided tours as well as interactive how-things-work displays designed to spark interest in engineering and history. Highlights include working central office step switches dating from 1920’s through 1960s operator switches military telephones from WWI through Gulf War service as well as novelty phones from all time periods of service history!

This year’s museum finally opened after 13 years of planning by retired phone workers from Southwestern Bell and AT&T who work under an umbrella organization known as Telecom Pioneers. Their volunteers donated their time and collected many artifacts such as crank phones running off giant dry-cell batteries or wearable leg telegraphs so they could send Morse code while hanging onto telephone poles.

The Bell Museum

On a sprawling plot of land overlooking Baddeck Bay and the Bras d’Or Lakes, visitors will discover an exquisite collection of artifacts related to Bell’s life, including: 1) His original Silver Dart hydrofoil craft which broke the world marine speed record in Baddeck Bay 1909; his walking stick and notebook; his rotary dial telephone; as well as a full scale replica of both his famous kite plane and HD-4 hydrofoil craft (both shown here).

The Museum pays its respects to generations of linemen and engineers who brought telephone service into rural and urban America, including display cases with old switchboards and glass insulators from independent telephone companies.

An extensive portion of the Archive comprises records that aren’t bound into books, such as individual printed documents (government proclamations and trade broadsides) as well as company newsletters and journals. Sheldon Hochheiser, Archivist at The Telephone Historical Centre Archives provides a brief tour through these irreplaceable collections.

Our collections trace the history of telecommunications in Edmonton. On display for group or individual tours are artifacts from Violette & Bartlett families who worked in telephone technology for more than 85 years, Garry Mitchell, as well as others who contributed their items.

The museum houses an interactive experience for all ages – featuring working switchboard, linemen’s tools and parts from Alexander Graham Bell’s original phone! All interactive stations make this visit fun.

The History of the Telephone

An old barn-turned museum houses an expansive collection of vintage telecom equipment. Working switchboards and linemen’s tools are among the many items on display; Alexander Graham Bell’s original phone to modern mobile phones are among them.

As well as showcasing the technological significance of phone history, this facility also aims to engage its visitors. Background projections, songs about various periods’ phones and oversize models make the experience enjoyable and interactive for visitors.

This collection honors generations of men and women who erect poles, lay cables, design technology for an ever-expanding telephone network. It attracts retirees looking for some geekery as well as children mesmerized by old switchboards’ clickety-clack. Modern phone calling may seem magical: just press one button and your mom in Philadelphia or BFF in New York are there before you know it – yet this exhibit traces all its steps from Bell’s invention in 1876 until modern mobiles were invented today.

The History of the Switchboard

After Alexander Graham Bell created his telegraph invention, people sought ways to stay in contact across both domestic and global distances. Telephone exchanges provided infrastructure to connect people over long distances while switchboards served as its heart.

These manually operated devices required someone to physically plug and unplug cables to establish connections and allow subscribers to communicate across long-distance lines from different cities. At first, female switchboard operators often took their lives due to an extremely hostile work environment.

This museum pays homage to generations of men and women who worked tirelessly on telecom poles, dug cables, designed phones and managed technology over many years. Retirees seek nostalgia while school children find pleasure in watching old switchboards click clack away! This museum attracts both retirees looking back over telecom history as well as school children fascinated by clickety-clack sounds of switchboards from yesteryear.

The History of the Manual System

Manual labor (or manual labour) refers to physical work that is done primarily using one’s hands as opposed to machines or animals, such as agriculture. Humans have historically engaged in manual labour in order to accomplish essential tasks necessary for modern life.

As the global economy shifts toward digital, manual systems are gradually being replaced by embedded help. While embedded help may provide assistance, it cannot replace a clear and comprehensive manual.

The Telephone Historical Centre exhibits and library provide an insightful glimpse into the evolution of telecom technology over time. Ranging from wooden wall phones and classic rotary dials to an operator switchboard and complete two position Kellogg universal telephone exchange with linemen’s tools – it pays homage to over one century of communications development locally, nationally and internationally while boasting one of the nation’s largest collections of antique phones and memorabilia.

The History of the Electronic System

The museum hosts an exhibit featuring a complete two-position Kellogg universal switchboard that gives visitors a firsthand experience with this early communication technology, along with telephone booths and various memorabilia from previous telephone workers who responded enthusiastically by sending items out from garages and sheds to be displayed at the exhibit.

Colourful painted backdrops and equipment displays bring life to this collection that spans more than 100 years of telecommunication innovations. Highlights of the display include Xeldon the talking robot, full-sized magneto switchboard, last step-by-step private automatic branch exchange system and panel systems.

The Telecommunications Museum in Edmonton is a favorite stop for school groups, families and sightseeing tours visiting Edmonton. Additionally, it hosts workshops and seminars hosted by leading IT companies. Staff and volunteers – former employees from Southwestern Bell, SBC and AT&T as well as current ones – are dedicated to preserving telecommunications history for generations to come. It operates as a non-profit organization supported by membership dues, research fees and grants.

The Telephone Museum provides a tangible history of communications technology and its influence in society, through an impressive collection of antique telephones, switchboards and equipment from throughout its long and distinguished history.

The Museum explores both local and global telecommunications history through working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches; antique wooden box phones, candlestick wall phones, classic rotary dial telephones; outside plant displays featuring poles, wire splicing equipment, tools; as well as one of North America’s largest reference libraries for telecom.

Opening hours

The Telephone Historical Centre is a museum that displays the development of communications technology throughout history. Operated by Winter Park Historical Society and featuring hands-on exhibits, it also tells of how Carl Galloway established Winter Park Telephone Company to improve customer service at his father’s grocery store in 1910.

The museum showcases working Panel and Crossbar Electromechanical Central Office Switches, Operator Switchboards, Antique Telephones (such as wooden wall phones and candlestick phones), outside plant displays, poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools, along with cataloged collections of Telecommunications Reference materials. Established by retired employees of ED TEL in 1987 and opened shortly afterwards at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre;

Visits to the Telephone Historical Centre are fun and educational experiences for visitors of all ages, as its impressive collection of vintage telephones and related artifacts offer a glimpse of telecommunications’ evolution from wooden wall-mounted devices with operator controls to sleek cell phones today.

Admission fee

The Telephone Historical Centre offers visitors a truly interactive and unique experience. With an expansive collection of original telephones that spans more than a century of communications technology and its working switching station, this museum is ideal for families, students, and group tours looking for sightseeing tours.

The museum was established by retired ED TEL employees and opened on December 3, 1987 in Old Strathcona neighbourhood. Later it moved to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre. The mission of this institution is to preserve Edmonton’s telecommunication history while informing and educating people about its impact.

The museum houses an array of antique telephones and switchboards as well as an extensive cataloged telecommunications reference library, as well as working panels and crossbar electromechanical central-office switches as well as outside plant displays including poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools. As a non-profit organization it provides educational experiences both adults and children can find enjoyable.

Guided tours

Guided tours provide visitors with a more structured experience, led by museum educators for at least an hour. On these tours, visitors will experience how one of mankind’s greatest inventions has transformed daily lives; learn how teachers of the deaf, undertakers and Hollywood starlets used it to change history while enjoying an in-depth view of museum collections and historical context.

Roseville Telephone Museum is housed in an historic building and boasts one of North America’s largest collections of antique telephones. Staffed by current and retired Bell System employees who volunteer their time, staff include manual cord boards, candlestick phones, wooden wall phones and antique line insulators as exhibits; working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switch as well as outdoor plant displays including poles cables and splicing equipment make up its exhibits.

Volunteers

For those curious about telecom history, the Telephone Historical Centre should be top of your itinerary. Boasting antique phones, line insulators and an old switchboard spanning more than 100 years of communication technology in Roseville California; its collections also showcase innovation’s importance in society.

The Museum is a non-profit organization that collects, organizes, documents and exhibits telecommunications artifacts. Accredited by Museums Alberta, school groups can tour it. Collections range from simple phones to complex panel switches; outreach workshops foster excitement about engineering while stimulating children’s intrinsic curiosity.

Volunteers enhance the visitor experience by actively greeting guests and informing them about programs and exhibitions. Volunteers are located both inside the museum as well as on its outdoor Memorial, and typically work shifts between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Training sessions are tailored specifically for organizational needs; contact the museum directly if interested.

No matter your interest – telecoms, history or memorabilia – this collection will hold something for you. It pays tribute to generations of individuals who helped shape telephony through its creation; from installing poles and burying cables, to designing and managing its technology.

This collection comprises wooden wall phones, candlestick phones and classic rotary dial telephones crafted of wood or candle wax; an operator switchboard; as well as two position Kellogg universal telephone exchange. Also included are line maps and directories.

History of Telecommunications

This collection covers the evolution of telecommunications from manual switching to automated systems and honors generations of men and women who erected poles, buried cables, designed and managed telecommunication technology and installed telephone sets into users’ homes and offices. Visitors can experience history first hand through interactive exhibits allowing them to touch, hold and operate equipment from various eras of telecommunications – recently we introduced QR codes at some exhibits which enable visitors to use smart phones to gain additional information about items on display.

Telephone Historical Centre collections show the immense possibilities created by Alexander Graham Bell’s invention for humanity. Telecommunications allows us to stay in contact with each other while exchanging valuable information such as weather reports, traffic updates and stock market updates. The museum features a diverse collection of telephones ranging from wooden wall phones and novelty models, through rotary dials, operator switchboards and complete two position Kellogg universal telephone exchanges. It also shows the evolution of mobile telephones from 1970’s car phones through modern cellular technology, offering visitors a unique viewing experience. Operated by Telephone Historical Centre Collections – an award-winning non-profit comprising active and retired telecom employees – the museum makes for a fun visit!

Telephones

No matter your background in communications technology or interest in communications itself, this collection offers something for everyone. Ranging from early telephones to the latest mobile phones and more modern models such as tablets or virtual reality phones – each piece showcases generations of hardworking telco workers who built poles, laid cables and designed and managed the technologies that made telecommunications possible.

Visitors to this museum will see working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office type switching systems, an impressive collection of rotary, candlestick and wooden wall-mount telephones from 1900 through today (including Princess Phones), novelty phones (such as Princess Phones), as well as numerous novelty phones such as Princess Phones. A large collection of red telephone boxes reminiscent of those seen along Britain’s roadsides since 1920 is also on view here.

This museum provides a working, self-guided exhibition on the history of communication technology. It includes working equipment such as a complete Strowger Exchange, 1920s switchboard, rotary dial phones and red telephone kiosks from BT’s last rollout – as well as its red kiosk collection from last rollout! Founded by Western Electric retiree Don Capehart and Rita Capehart (both Western Electric retirees), volunteers staff the museum; visitors can try their hand at being 1920s rotary dial operators or learn about its development from Alexander Graham Bell’s “Mr Watson, come here!” call to videophones! In addition, guided tours and educational programs can also be offered.

Switchboards

The museum provides visitors with an interactive experience of telephone technology’s history and its impact on society, through hands-on models and exhibits that illustrate its workings, as well as those responsible for its creation, development and maintenance.

This collection includes several operating operator switchboards which display how the system worked during its heyday, along with numerous reconstructed back-end systems and manual exchange buildings. A range of wall phones from early hand crank magneto phones to modern mobile smartphones are also on display as well as an extensive library that showcases one-of-a-kind telecom publications.

This museum could have easily turned into an inaccessible collection, appealing only to retired telephone technicians and their children, but instead has achieved something quite remarkable: entertaining without being silly, informative without becoming dull, surprising while remaining familiar.

Starting off as an initiative from retired employees of Edmonton D TEL, the Museum opened for business on December 3, 1987 in Old Strathcona neighborhood in Edmonton. Over time it relocated to its current home at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in central Edmonton where it now operates as the oldest comprehensive telephone museum West of Mississippi with backend and operator switchboards dating from 1901 through 1970 in its collection.

The Telephone Historical Centre houses an outstanding selection of antique telephones and telecommunications technology, as well as an expansive research archive featuring microfilm copies of early directories as well as at-risk scrapbooks and binders.

These records document the progression of communications technology from Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame and Thomas Watson’s Thumper Phone through modern wireless technology.

Collections

The Alexander Graham Bell Collection includes photographs, equipment and artifacts dating from its first factory in Brantford in 1878 to the Bell-Northern Research and Development Laboratories today. In addition to these documents spanning telephone manufacturing from their beginning in Brantford in 1878 through its modern production at Bell-Northern Research and Development Laboratories today; as well as comprehensive files on the Trans-Canada Telephone System, Bell Canada as well as independent Canadian telephone companies including independent/connecting telephone services within Canada as well as foreign telecommunications systems worldwide; including correspondence written by Alexander Graham Bell himself, 1915 book of sketches showing construction of first transcontinental line to tape recordings featuring Thomas Watson commenting on working alongside inventor Thomas Watson as well as customer opinions about this new device from its customers themselves.

The Museum houses one of the largest collections of antique telephones and related telecommunications equipment in North America, ranging from wooden box phones and candlestick phones to classic rotary phones and novelty phones – not forgetting our working central office switchboard with operator panel and crossbar electromechanical switching – this collection provides a fascinating window into communication history.

Exhibits

The museum offers an engaging look back into the development of telephone technology with their collection of antique telecommunication equipment and items, such as replicas of Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone to videophones; showing all their technological progress over more than 100 years.

The telephone is one of the greatest inventions ever. It revolutionised our way of communicating, as well as social interactions among humans. From new forms of etiquette to aiding deaf individuals communicate more easily – the telephone has become an indispensable part of modern living.

The museum features an eclectic array of artifacts such as wooden box and candlestick phones, operator switchboards, working panel and crossbar electromechanical switching systems central office type switching systems from World War I through Gulf War, hundreds of telephone related trinkets and an extensive library of telephony books and catalogs; these items can all be found within an iconic phone building that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Events

Telecommunication museums provide living galleries of history; their collections enable both students and adults to comprehend how technology evolves over time. Museum-based learning resources often showcase working telecommunications equipment that showcases its iterative design processes that have led us to our current world of interdependent communications technologies.

From Alexander Graham Bell’s solid wood wall-mounted phones that required operator direction to the sleek mobile devices of today, visiting telephone museum collections can make for an entertaining family outing or school field trip experience. Roseville Telephone Museum boasts one of the largest collections of antique telephones in North America.

Gridley Museum of Independent Telephony in Illinois was established by active and retired telecom professionals with a passion for preserving independent telephone history in their community. This innovative museum boasts an innovative Step-by-Step Private Automatic Branch Exchange exhibit as well as plant displays featuring poles cables splicing tools and antique line insulators from poles cables splicing tools to antique line insulators; additional items in their collection include two position Kellogg universal switchboards as well as candlestick wall telephones.

Membership

Register as a member now to support one of North America’s premier telecommunications museums! Members receive biweekly emails providing updates from across the history discipline and may qualify for up to five grant-in-aid programs each year to further their research projects.

Our extensive archives contain more than three and a half million paper documents and 25,000 pieces of equipment, which trace telecommunications development from manual system telephones operated by switchboard operators to today’s wireless communication technologies.

The Museum operates entirely independently, supported by membership fees, donations and grants from both members and donors. We have received four stars from Charity Navigator so you can trust that your membership dollar is being wisely spent. Plus you’ll gain discounted admission and gift shop purchases. Plus there’s The History Teacher magazine subscription plus access to over 1,500 humanities and social science journals on JSTOR archives!