Telephone collectors, hobbyists, and historians converge at this museum – one of the largest of its kind in North America – to display their equipment. There is also an incredible assortment of insulators on display!

This center first opened its doors to visitors on December 3, 1987 in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona neighbourhood before later moving to its current home at Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre. A visit here makes for a fantastic family outing or group tour destination!

The Bell Collection

The Bell Collection is an expansive and diverse collection that holds many significant items, including letters from Alexander Graham Bell and his family as well as laboratory notebooks.

These notebooks contain scientific experiments and explorations in fields like acoustics, deaf education, aeronautics and chemistry as well as handwritten drafts of articles or speeches.

The Bells were passionate collectors, and the museum now houses their remarkable collection of British studio pottery from 1920-1980 by such masters as Bernard Leach, Shoji Hamada, David Leach Richard Batterham Tatsuzo Shimaoka Marianne de Trey Michael Cardew Seth Cardew William Marshall Janet Leach Ladi Kwali & Alan Wallwork among many others.

This collection also comprises numerous bird specimens collected by the Bells and later donated to Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Of these specimens, most (239 of 917 glass plate negatives) were taken during their mission to Lhasa – copies have been identified through close scrutiny under magnification.

The Daubendiek Collection

The lower level is home to one of the first museums dedicated to telephone history in the country. Many items were collected by Jim Daubendiek’s family – General Manager of Jefferson Telecom – who in turn created his own mini “Cabela’s Wall” with animal trophies from hunting expeditions undertaken by our CEO himself.

Hush-A-Phone was an adorable attachment that allowed users to whisper into their phone mouthpiece in private and keep secrets out of reach of prying ears, becoming popular during the 1920s but eventually breaking with Bell System’s hold over telephone equipment. Ericofons were another popular mid-20th Century Jefferson phone, designed in Sweden and produced between 1956 and 1982 as an early precursor of cell phones today; there is even one donated from an ex-Jefferson Telecom employee used in the White House – making for an invaluable collection that any collector, historian or anyone interested in communications technology should visit.

The Roseville Telephone Company Collection

Rarely will you come across a museum that seamlessly blends history, entertainment and education. However, Roseville Telephone Museum presented by SureWest Communications makes an exception!

The 4,500-square-foot museum houses one of the nation’s premier collections of antique telephones, spanning more than 100 years of communication technology innovation both locally and worldwide. Ranging from early switchboards to novelty phones, its exhibits provide visitors with an engaging look into history.

The museum welcomes school field trips and group sight-seeing tours. Their expert staff will lead visitors through its displays, offering insights into the technicalities of telecommunication devices from Morse code telegraphs to modern cell phones – this museum showcases innovation. Also featured is an extensive collection of antique telephone tools such as linemen’s pole climbing stirrups and office telephone computer machines; additionally there’s even a magneto switchboard from Roseville Telephone Company from 1914.

The Virtual Museum of Telecommunications

The Virtual Museum of Telecommunications is an online portal and database featuring digital artefacts related to telecom. The project was undertaken as a collaboration between Connected Earth, museums and heritage centres across North America.

Visitors to this website will gain a wealth of information on the history and impact of telecommunications. Furthermore, an interactive world map allows users to search objects located across collections worldwide.

No matter your interest in history, science, or telecoms – whether history buff, science enthusiast, or collector – the Virtual Museum of Telecommunications should not be missed! Open to everyone around the globe, this resource provides accessible learning resources. With its potential to redefine museum roles in digital societies it should also offer high levels of interactivity and rich content not achievable at traditional museums – this necessitates new standards in object documentation and data enrichment to meet user demands.

Telephone museums provide an interactive history of communications technology. Ranging from solid wood wall-mounted phones with manual dialing mechanisms that required operators assistance through to modern day touchscreen cellular smartphones, these museum collections showcase creativity, craftsmanship, and ingenuity of past communications technologies.

As part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, HBEC designed a telephone outreach project that engaged older adults in research registries while offering resources tailored specifically for their needs. In this article we highlight key outcomes and lessons learned from this initiative.

Museum of Telecommunication History

The Museum of Telecommunication History features an impressive array of telephones, switching equipment and memorabilia from across its 125 year history. Exhibits trace this development from Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of wall-mounted phones in 1876 through to pocket-sized cell smartphones used today – as well as how technological innovation transformed society and culture.

Visitors to this museum can experience the history of telecommunications through working switchboards and hands-on activities, special events, workshops, and Ziva’s Corner for children that teach about mail and telecom history.

The Museum of Telecommunications is an initiative of the Telecommunications Pioneers, an organization composed of active and retired telecom employees who volunteer their time and services in order to keep it operating. Housed within an historic 1896 building, this museum displays antique telephones and switching equipment; open to visitors without charge or membership requirements.

John K. La Rue’s Museum of Telephony

The JKL Museum of Telephony, formerly the American Telephone History and Technology Museum, is dedicated to preserving telephone history. This collection displays working telephones from their birth in late- 1800s through to modern technology; including historical mechanical central office type switches as well as an extensive technical library full of books, catalogs and training material related to telecom.

The Museum features a diverse array of antique telecommunications equipment and collectibles, as well as artifacts from Alexander Graham Bell’s attic workshop. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, donations to support its mission can also be accepted by this non-profit institution.

Last week, California’s devastating wildfires claimed another victim: Mountain Ranch’s JKL Museum of Telephony was devastated in Mountain Ranch by California wildfires just one hour southeast of Sacramento. This unusual museum, named for owner John K. La Rue whose initials appear above number five on most telephone dials -was home to antique phones and telecom memorabilia treasure trove which will never again exist according to blog posts written about them; their loss marks both cultural and historical loss for California.

The Telephone Museum of Michigan

One can experience an enjoyable museum visit in Michigan’s Telecommunications History Museum – featuring over 1,800 telephones dating from the late 1800’s up until modern-day technology – including candlestick wall phones, rotary dial phones and Kellogg universal switchboards for manual line switching exchanges prior to automated systems becoming the standard.

The museum phone collection also showcases various novelty phones with distinctive shapes and colors, such as yellow banana phones and blue clown phones. There are even caricature phones of famous figures like Alf, Bozo, and Mickey Mouse on display!

The museum operates as a non-profit corporation under 501(c), managed by volunteers from both the local community and Bell System retirees. It provides guided tours and interactive experiences to both groups and individuals, while maintaining a research archive and making connections between other telecom museums around North America.

The Telephone Museum of Texas

The Telephone Museum of Texas offers an engaging collection of communication equipment and history located in Muenster, TX. A great option for family visits or school field trips alike, this unique attraction adds excitement and fun to any sightseeing itinerary.

The Museum offers an exquisite selection of antique phones from pre-Apple golden age communications. This includes rare “gallows frame phones”, only ever produced five times worldwide and classic rotary dial phones used by James Stewart and Donna Reed in It’s A Wonderful Life movie.

The museum houses a collection of telephone memorabilia and offers interactive displays that depict how communication technology has developed over time. Furthermore, Telephone Workshops give participants of all ages a hands-on engineering experience through activities such as taking stuff apart and wiring components – encouraging enthusiasm for engineering as well as encouraging entrepreneurialism that gave rise to innovative telecommunications technologies and developing greater appreciation of our state’s natural environments.

Telephone Historical Centre Collections is an unprecedented museum dedicated to telephone technology that showcases more than a century’s worth of innovation in Roseville and throughout North America. This extraordinary display covers more than one century’s worth of telephone history!

This unique museum houses manual operator switchboards and an expansive assortment of telephone equipment – making it an excellent destination for family outings, school field trips and group sight-seeing tours.

The Bell Collection

Our mission is to inspire a passion for engineering by using phone history as a vehicle to showcase innovation and invention, through displays of working equipment illustrating communication technology’s history.

This collection showcases manual system telephones from around the world, such as Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows frame phone and Thomas A. Watson’s Thumper phone – two pioneering examples that use the stepping switch principle that was essential in developing telephony. Furthermore, there is also a full sized Central Office type switching system connected to other pieces of equipment in the collection for visitors to interact with.

Archival material includes photographs chronicling the development of telecommunications in Edmonton during an important period in its history, making this collection an important source of documentary heritage for this time of significant social transformation. Recognized by UNESCO as an Important Cultural Heritage Site, this collection serves as a valuable resource for students, scholars and the general public alike to explore.

The JKL Collection

The JKL Museum is dedicated to the preservation of all aspects of telephony. It houses an impressive selection of telephones from around the world dating back as far as 1876; including Alexander Graham Bell’s original 1876 Inventor’s Phone!

It boasts one of the most extensive collections of historic telephones in the US, along with unique operator switchboards, military telephones dating from WWI through Gulf War service and novelty phones from around the globe.

The JKL Collection is also home to iconic red telephone kiosks designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott that have graced Britain’s roadsides since 1920, as designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott himself and remain ubiquitous across the UK today. To preserve them and ensure they continue being enjoyed and treasured for future generations. Anyone owning one should reach out when repair or painting work needs doing; doing so ensures these stunning artifacts remain available and timeless for everyone’s enjoyment and cherished throughout time.

The ATCA Collection

ATCA members can get involved with our ongoing efforts to develop solutions for global air traffic management by attending webinars, conferences, educational programs, technology exhibitions and collaborative working groups. Membership also gives you access to committees that promote open dialogue within aviation community while keeping us safe and efficient.

The ATCA Collection comprises an impressive array of contemporary artifacts and documentation spanning Fluxus, event arts and happenings, book works with visual poetry, artists’ videos and correspondence art – comparable to holdings found at Getty Research Institute and Museum of Modern Art.

ATCA designers sought high’resolving power,’ or the ability to see detail, and narrow spectral line radio signals (which represent signatures from interstellar gas clouds and stellar envelopes). Furthermore, they designed in an ability to measure polarisation – where radio waves can be directed in certain ways instead of randomly moving back and forth).

The THG Collection

The THG Collection houses an eclectic range of antique telephones and telecom technology, such as switchboards and Edmonton’s first manual phone imported in 1898. This rich archive offers research material to students studying GDR literature and culture – particularly those interested in issues surrounding dictatorship, media control, art directed by totalitarian states, artist roles and more.

THG Paris, the luxury sanitaryware and bathroom fittings manufacturer, prides itself on innovative collaborations, tailored customization services and top quality. Its Atelier Series showcases an impressive variety of designs that represent French artisan craftsman traditions while remaining timeless and current. With collections such as Ice, which provides a sleek aesthetic; Color, which delivers sophisticated style; Delta for contemporary elegance; and Montaigne as an homage to French marble, THG offers faucet and shower solutions to meet the vision of any designer. From porcelain sinks that appear like sculptures to showers that turn into invigorating rainforests – every THG piece whispers an assurance of superior quality and lasting beauty.

No matter your interest in collecting or history, the Telephone Historical Centre archives offer something for everyone. Discover historic photographs and news articles as well as actual telephones and related equipment.

The museum features Edmonton phone directories dating back to the 1800s as well as technical manuals and books on telecomm. Oral histories from former telco employees also form part of this unique collection.

The Museum

Experience how the telephone was invented and revolutionized the way we communicate. Also discover generations of people working to erect poles, bury cables, design technology solutions and manage it successfully.

The museum boasts an exceptional collection, from antique crank wall phones and decorator phones, as well as functional switchboards. You can try your luck operating either a rotary dial telephone or an old style step-by-step private automatic branch exchange!

The Museum also houses an impressive library of telephone related books, catalogs and technical journals for anyone to peruse – historians, collectors or anyone with an interest in the history of telecommunications will find this resource invaluable.

The Archives

The Archives are an impressive treasure chest of historic material detailing the development of telecommunications technology. Their holdings include old telephone directories from Edmonton dating as far back as 1895; technical manuals dating to 1800s; and books dedicated to telephone history and technology.

The Museum offers collections that include vintage operator switchboards, rotary dial phones and wall-mounted magneto phones as well as equipment used to transmit those first intelligible words over wired telephone networks. Furthermore, mobile phones and internet service providers are displayed.

Archives at AT&T contain an abundance of material spanning its entire history, such as artifacts, photos and documents that document speech and hearing research, telecom engineering and telephone design; speech research at Speech Pathology Department of AT&T is another invaluable source. Furthermore, collections record how AT&T transitioned from being part of Bell System monopoly to current company, with minutes from board meetings as well as branch histories and even numismatic collections that document that development.

The Library

The library holds an incredible repository of telephone history. From Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 patent document to modern cordless phones, there’s something here for everyone!

Archivist Sheldon Hochheiser leads us on a tour through his collections. Alongside vintage phone directories, this archive also houses technical manuals dating back to 1800s as well as numerous books about telecom technology and history.

No matter your background in Edmonton telecommunications history, our Museum and Library can help you explore Alberta’s Telephone Era: its successes, politics, competitions, equipment and companies. Additionally, the library houses extensive holdings of old newspaper clipping binders from across Canada that it is in the process of microfilming as part of a larger effort to preserve historic records. Furthermore, many museum exhibits can also be found here. Listen to early 20th century phones or check out an automated branch exchange that shows its stepping switch principle step-by-step. Take a peek at current mobile phone technology from 1980s car phones through today’s cellular phones – there is plenty to experience here!

Events

At a time of rapid technological progress and advances, it’s essential to recall the history and contributions made to telecommmunication development by those involved. A great way to do that is with a visit to this museum.

From old-fashioned operator switchboards and wall-mounted magneto phones, to electromechanical marvels that paved the way for today’s electronic devices – our collection of telephone equipment is vast and diverse.

This museum is operated as a non-profit entity by Telecom Pioneers, an employee service organization for Southwestern Bell, AT&T and related companies. Housed within Jefferson Barracks Historic Park in Jefferson City, Missouri this museum features working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical switching systems; cataloged telecommunications reference library; antique telephones; outside plant displays with poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools; working central-office switching systems and more!

Established by former employees of Edmonton TEL, this museum first opened in 1987 in an old telephone exchange building located in Old Strathcona and relocated in 2004 to its current site. Perfect for family outings, school field trips or adding sightseeing adventures into an itinerary!

The Telephone Historical Centre is one of North America’s premier hands-on museums. Established by retired ED TEL employees and accredited with Museums Alberta, its exhibits include working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches; outside plant displays such as poles, cables, splicing equipment and tools; as well as antique phones and switchboards from times gone by as well as an extensive cataloged telecommunications reference library.

Museum Hours

Modern society may take for granted what was once groundbreaking technology – yet this museum preserves and showcases its history with fully functioning pieces dating from late 1890s up to modern day, plus an impressive library on telecommunications history.

Tours of the Telephone Pioneers group – comprised of current and retired telephone company employees – are given by volunteers from this organization, eager to show visitors how the interactivity of phone equipment has developed over time. The museum offers tours featuring its working Panel and Crossbar Electromechanical Central Office Switch as well as antique phones and switchboards from decades past, outside plant displays with poles and cables, and cataloged Telecommunication Reference Library.

Visits to the Telephone Historical Centre should be an enjoyable educational experience that should appeal to visitors of all ages. With more retro telecom equipment than an early James Bond film, this cavernous space makes for a wonderful way to spend an afternoon learning and having fun together as a family.

Museum Admission

The Museum is open to both self-guided and group tours; guided tours for groups of ten or more can be scheduled four weeks in advance. Large bags, backpacks, musical instruments, scooters and skateboards are not permitted inside galleries; strollers and soft front-facing baby carriers are welcome however.

The Connections Museum Seattle offers an educational experience for anyone interested in the history of telephones and telecommunications, including antique phones, switchboards, outdoor plant displays including poles with cable splicing equipment as well as cataloged telecommunications reference materials. It features an operable Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switch as well as antique phones. Also featured is an operational Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switch; antique phones; switchboards; antique phones from years gone by; switchboards that work; antique phones from years gone bye; antique phones from years past; antique phones from switchboards from their day; antique phones from switchboards that work central office switches; working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches; antique phones from years gone bye; switchboards featuring poles cable and splicing equipment and catalogued telecommunications reference materials that span centuries!

Thompson and his staff don’t hesitate to show visitors all of the vintage telecom gear housed within its cavernous space, from retro phones and dialers to retro decorator phones and even an interactivity station where visitors are asked to hang two metal cans onto wires for telegraph signals or use crank dialers to dial dial numbers. There is even an impressive collection of wooden wall phones, rotary dialers and decorator phones from which visitors may choose from!

Museum Exhibits

The Roseville Communications Museum’s exhibits span more than 100 years of communications technology both locally and worldwide, making for an informative yet entertaining family outing, school field trip or sightseeing tour experience. Staffed by both current and retired Bell Telephone Company employees.

The Museum features an impressive collection of antique telephones and memorabilia. Situated within Jefferson Barracks Park – some 15 minutes southwest of Downtown St Louis – in a historic 1896 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places – it houses these pieces from its past.

Museums offer contemporary audiences an unique opportunity to connect with artifacts that span time. Their collections showcase physical instruments like Alexander Graham Bell’s liquid transmitter from his attic workshop as well as historical documents like advertisements and personal narratives that help us better comprehend the development of communications technology over time. Collections also reveal how objects travel globally via trade and cultural exchange forming connections across places and times; didactic wall panels (blocks of text describing an exhibition) help museum staff connect visitors with artifacts.

Museum Collection

The Museum Collection includes objects to help interpret and educate about its history, and also includes archival materials.

The Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum is housed in a restored 1896 telephone building and features one of the world’s finest collections of telephones and related equipment. This historic site includes working Panel and Crossbar electromechanical central office switches, antique telephones and switchboards, outside plant displays with poles cables splicing equipment tools as well as cataloged telecommunications reference library; knowledgeable docents who are current or retired phone company employees offering their time as volunteers can guide visitors around this historic site.

Museums must implement effective systems to manage their collections in order to provide appropriate care to objects in their care, which may degrade faster than necessary. Such systems include developing policies and procedures such as SPECTRUM Procedures that enable museums to properly care for their collections.