The Telephone Historical Centre was founded by retired employees of ED TEL and opened on December 3rd 1987 at Old Strathcona’s former phone exchange building. Later it moved to Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre where it now offers group tours, individual tours, learning center services, as well as its Historical Telecommunication Theatre Show.

Opening Hours

The Telephone Historical Centre was an engaging museum showcasing one of the largest collections of antique telecommunications equipment in North America, such as Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame Telephone and Thomas Watson’s Thumper Phone as well as replicas of candlestick wall phones from history. This fascinating collection provided visitors with an immersive view into communications history.

In 1987, retired employees from ED TEL founded the Museum. Originally housed within an old telephone exchange building in Old Strathcona, its current home can be found within Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in Central Edmonton.

The Museum is operated by volunteers of Telecom Pioneers, a non-profit 501(c)(3) employee service organization. Membership is open to anyone interested in preserving the history of independent telecom in their community; biweekly emails provide updates from across history disciplines while members may qualify for grants-in-aid to fund research projects.

Admission

Admission to historic sites generally requires a ticket unless otherwise specified, though The Stevens & Smith Center/LancasterHistory reserves the right to ask visitors for identification or ticket receipt for any reason determined by our site management team.

Donations help museums remain open so history is accessible to everyone. Established by retired ED TEL employees in 1987, this museum showcases artifacts from bygone days when two-position Kellogg telephone switches allowed guests to manually connect calls; party lines where four housewives shared one circuit for gossiping and recipe swapping; crank wall phones that could ring, dial and have bells inserted for privacy purposes; as well as hundreds of pieces of communication equipment and tools. Exhibits at the Edmonton Telecommunications Heritage Centre include working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office step switches; operator switchboards; outdoor plant displays featuring poles, wires and splicing equipment; as well as one of North America’s largest cataloged telecommunications reference libraries – making this an educational yet entertaining stop on family outings, school field trips or group sightseeing tours of Edmonton.

Parking

The Telephone Historical Centre offered visitors an interactive opportunity to experience the history and impact of telecommunications on communication. Their extensive collection of original artifacts such as working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switch equipment as well as outdoor plant displays featuring poles, wire, splicing tools, splice points and other tools related to telecom services made it an ideal destination for family outings, school field trips and group sightseeing tours of Edmonton. Overnight parking passes could also be purchased or hourly parking started after 8 p.m.

Tours

This museum strives to foster an interest in engineering among visitors, and showcases its development from Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 patent through today’s cell phones. It includes working central office step switches and operator switchboards; antique wooden and decorator phones from yesteryear; crank wall phones that ring, dial, and feature bells inserted in their mouthpieces for privacy; as well as hundreds of telephone-related objects and artifacts – as well as one of North America’s largest telecommunications reference libraries as well as outdoor plant displays with poles, wires and splicing equipment – so visitors won’t leave disappointed by what awaits!

Guided tours provide visitors with a greater appreciation of the museum’s exhibits. Visitors can test their hand at connecting calls manually using a Kellogg universal telephone switch; or explore party lines (where four housewives used one circuit together for gossiping) or hush-a-phones (allowing users to whisper secrets directly into its receiver mouthpiece for privacy) at this museum. In addition, other hands-on activities allow guests to interact with its collection of artifacts while understanding how communications technology has developed through time.

Discover the fascinating history of telephone communications at this unique museum founded by retired ED TEL employees in 1987 and housed in an old telephone exchange building in Old Strathcona. Attractions at The Telephone Historical Centre include fascinating pieces that you can touch and interact with directly.

Xeldon the Talking Robot

Xeldon was an interesting and interactive museum exhibit that detailed the development of telephone technology from its infancy through to modernity. Housed at Edmonton’s Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre, it opened as part of the Telephone Historical Centre back in 1987 by retired employees from ED TEL dedicated to preserving telephone history in Edmonton. Home to original handsets such as Gallows Frame Telephone and Thomas A Watson’s Thumper Phone alongside replica models, it provided people of all ages an educational environment on Canadian telecommunications history!

The Bell System

This museum introduces visitors to the history of communication technology, from Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame telephone to Thomas A. Watson’s Thumper phone. Additionally, this institution pays homage to generations of workers who put up poles, laid cables underground and designed devices that made communications possible.

Archive collection items at Telco History include vintage phone directories and technical manuals as well as oral histories from former Telco employees – invaluable resources for students, researchers or anyone with an interest in telecom history and technology.

The museum’s inaugural volumes were published just one year after Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1877. One such work, entitled The Speaking Telephone, provides detailed diagrams and explanations of its operations for readers. Other collections within its archives include working panel-crossbar electromechanical central office switch equipment; operator switchboards; outdoor plant displays with poles wire and insulators as well as an extensive cataloged research library. Furthermore, educational programs are offered specifically dedicated to protecting antique telephones and telecom technology at this facility in Canada.

The Gallows Frame Telephone

The museum boasts an impressive collection of vintage phones and communications technology that provides an eye-opening glimpse into Edmonton’s telecom history. Research and archives held within its walls provide students, researchers, and anyone else interested in communications history a wealth of information on Alberta telecommunications history. The Telephone Historical Centre’s remarkable collection comprises vintage phone directories, technical manuals and oral histories from former telecom industry employees. Additionally, this collection boasts working electromechanical central office switch equipment such as panels and crossbars; operating switchboards; outdoor plant displays (poles wire and insulators); cataloged telecommunications reference materials; as well as unique volumes such as The Speaking Telephone by Alexander Graham Bell himself – published just one year after its invention and providing detailed diagrams describing its workings – making for a remarkable presentation.

The Thumper Phone

Alexander Graham Bell transformed communications when he created the telephone in 1876, and Edmonton’s Telephone Historical Centre houses an impressive collection of antique phones, telecom technology and research documents that document its progression into business tools and cultural catalysts. It features working panel and crossbar electromechanical central office switch equipment; operating switchboards; outdoor plant displays (poles wire and insulators); as well as cataloged reference materials available for students or researchers studying Edmonton’s telecom history.

This one-of-a-kind collection includes an impressive range of antique rotary dial “box” telephones commonly found in homes and Kellogg universal switchboards used by visitors to place calls using historical technology. Furthermore, there is also an archive holding vintage phone directories, technical manuals, oral histories with former ED TEL employees, vintage phone directories, technical manuals and vintage phone directories; making this unparalleled collection must see for anyone interested in communication history and its continued development.

Few innovations have had such an enduring effect on modern society as the telephone. Museums dedicated to telecom history serve as acquisition, research, documentation, and exhibition centers that reveal how communication technology has progressed from Alexander Graham Bell’s solid wood wall-mounted phones requiring operator direction all the way up to today’s sleek mobile devices.

The Traveling Trunks Program

Few innovations have revolutionized society as dramatically as telephones have. Museums dedicated to telecom serve as acquisition, research and documentation centers that feature vast collections that showcase innovation, culture and history – from Alexander Graham Bell’s solid wood wall-mounted operator directed phones all the way through modern multifunctional pocket cell phones.

Many museums rely on retired telecom professionals (often retired telecom professionals themselves) with decades of practical experience and institutional memory to bring exhibits alive for visitors. By providing tours, sharing anecdotes or demonstrating antique equipment, these volunteers help promote an appreciation for engineering while creating tangible links between modern and vintage communication technologies.

Some museums provide traveling trunks that enable educators to bring a part of their collection directly into classrooms, providing replica primary source artifacts, books and activities aligned with state social studies standards into classes. One such trunk, Homestead Travel Trunk provides hands-on materials for Westward Expansion while Climate Kids Traveling Trunk introduces sea level rise with lessons featuring objects, images and documents.

Oral History Programs

Few inventions have had as significant an impact on society as the telephone, connecting families across continents and business associates more closely together. Museums devoted to telephone history serve as acquisition, research, organization and documentation centers that exhibit how communications innovation has developed from Alexander Graham Bell’s solid wood wall-mounted phones that required operator supervision up through to multifunctional pocket cell phone technologies used today.

Many museums enlist volunteers with years of practical knowledge from former telephone linemen and switchboard technicians – often former telephone linemen themselves – to translate antique electromechanical equipment into an engaging historical learning experience for both children and adults. Furthermore, museums host offsite community education events like Traveling Trunks that bring hands-on teaching materials directly into classrooms to meet curriculum standards.

Museums provide an archival record of local telecommunication industries through directories, photographs and personal narratives. Museums actively pursue former telecom pioneers for donations of memorabilia from their garages or sheds to enhance collections that showcase telecom development over time.

Retired Telecom Workers

Few inventions have had as profound an effect on society as the telephone. Museums specializing in communication technology provide engaging historical learning experiences to increase curiosity about this important tool of modernity that shapes our world.

Telecommunications museums serve as acquisition, research, organization and documentation centers that illustrate the development of communication technology from Alexander Graham Bell’s wall-mounted operator directed phones requiring human supervision through to today’s multifunctional pocket cell phones. Telecommunications museums also document local telephone industries through directories, photographs and personal narratives.

As part of their efforts to expand archival collections, many museums enlist volunteer telecom professionals – usually retired linemen and switchboard technicians with decades of practical experience and institutional memory – to conduct tours for schoolchildren, teachers, adults and other visitors. Their knowledge makes complex electromechanical systems simpler to understand while sparking enthusiasm for engineering. Furthermore, many donate their services offsite community education programs such as Traveling Trunks Program which delivers phone history teaching materials directly into classrooms to meet curriculum standards.

The museum, established by retired ED TEL employees, boasts a step-by-step private automatic telephone exchange building; outdoor displays of poles, cables and splicing tools; two position Kellogg universal switchboard; as well as antique telephones and research documents related to telecom technology.

This collection comprises wooden three box wall phones equipped with magneto cranks and switch hooks; manual system phones used by operators before automated switching systems were implemented; as well as a working Central Office step switch.

Antique Telephones

People collect vintage phones for various reasons: to honor an iconic design era or connect with technology’s past; or simply add a nostalgic touch to their home decor. There are even those who find great joy in building and repairing these classic devices themselves!

This collection includes desk and wall telephones from across time periods, such as candlestick models from earlier use when central offices weren’t yet standard practice. While these early telephones can still be used today for receiving calls but cannot make calls due to being noncompliant with modern phone systems, their popularity remains strong today as collectors appreciate them for their novelty value.

Viaduct Electric Company of Baltimore, MD produced this rotary dial wall phone between 1883 and 1885; it became standard across Bell Systems until 1900. Powered by three glass bottled batteries it powered the transmitter and receiver simultaneously.

Telecommunications Equipment

The museum features an expansive collection of antique telecommunications equipment. Through an interactive experience, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of telecommunications history while engaging with artifacts from yesteryear that provide insight into how communication technology has advanced our lives over the years.

The telephone museum features many original and replica pieces of telecom equipment, such as three box wall phones – an evolutionary form of candlestick wall phones- and coffin style manual system telephones used up until the early part of the 20th century when transmitter and receiver functions were combined into one unit.

The museum features a working central office step switch with operator panel and crossbar electromechanical switching, novelty phones, as well as an impressive collection of historical documents dating back to Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame and Thomas Watson’s Thumper Phone to modern wireless technology.

Research Documents

Roseville, Alberta-based Roseville Telecom Museum provides visitors with an exciting glimpse into the development of telecommunications technology through an impressive collection of antique telephone equipment and research materials that serve to educate and engage visitors. Displays include rotary dial wall phones including novelty Princess phones; wooden Magneto crank telephones including one by Thomas Edison himself (with its rare Blake transmitter); candlestick wall phones; numerous manual system phones imported to Edmonton in 1885 as well as working Central Office step switches with operator panels and crossbar electromechanical switching; outside plant displays featuring line insulators/pole splicing tools; as well as an expansive library cataloged Telecommunications publications from many publishers around the globe – as well as much more.

The museum’s collection illustrates how telecommunications technology has progressed since Alexander Graham Bell first used his Gallows Frame and Thomas Watson introduced his Thumper Phone up until modern wireless technologies such as WiFi. It recognizes and honors generations of linemen who built America’s telecommunication infrastructure by erecting poles, laying cable, and finding technological solutions to ever-evolving customer demands. Open to the public and available to school groups or sightseeing tours alike for tours into its past, this museum gives its collections.

Telephone Directories

Telephone directories provide names and contact numbers of subscribers in a given area. Our collection features yellow pages as well as city business or classified directories which can help researchers to discover more about an ancestor’s profession or if they owned their own homes.

According to the directories available, some may be free while others require payment or subscription. Paid options often offer more detailed and regularly updated information, as well as advanced features like reverse phone lookup and CRM integration; however, some individuals may feel uneasy having their contact info readily available online.

Roseville, Alberta offers visitors an intriguing museum with antique rotary dial wall phones – including novelty Princess phones; candlestick wall phones; manual system telephones imported to Edmonton in 1885; working Central Office step switches (including operator panels and crossbar electromechanical switching); outside plant displays of poles, lines and insulators; as well as a telecom reference library – for an interactive exploration of telecom history. Don’t miss this unique museum and experience first hand what has made telecom history what it is today!

The Telephone Historical Centre opened for business at Edmonton’s Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre in 1987 by a group of retired ED TEL employees, becoming a popular attraction among visitors of all ages. It provided a fascinating look into the development of telephone technology and communication equipment throughout history.

Archieves

Visitors of Bell’s rich historical collections will learn about how telephony has developed over time in this exciting, entertaining exhibition based on Bell’s collections. Starting from its origins to modern day technology, visitors are treated to an exciting journey as this exhibition pays homage to generations of men and women who made this phenomenon happen.

The Gridley Museum of Independent Telephony in Illinois was created by active and retired telecom professionals with a passion for preserving independent telephone history in their local community. It houses one of North America’s largest collections of antique telecom equipment ranging from wooden box phones and candlestick wall telephones to working central office switchboards and two position Kellogg universal switchers.

This exhibition honors Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone, which allowed people to communicate over long distances without depending on telegraph operators. Additionally, this event examines its social impact through audiovisual displays, background projections, songs about different telephone periods as well as oversize models and installations – an engaging way to learn about its profound effect on humanity!