The Collections foster enthusiasm for engineering by offering visitors an engaging comparison between modern day telecommunications and vintage technologies. The Museum features a working operator switchboard as well as an eclectic assortment of antique telephones.
Retirees visit to enjoy themselves, children recall fond childhood memories and teens are fascinated by the clickety-clack of old equipment.
The History of the Telephone
Few inventions in telecommunications history have made as big an impact as the telephone. Though we now take it for granted, just 100 years ago it was cutting-edge technology.
Alexander Graham Bell made history when he introduced the telephone to the world in 1876, after years of early innovations ranging from smoke signals, letters and telegrams as means to communicate across long distances until voice communication made real time possible.
Our collection boasts manual system telephones from around the world, such as Bell’s Gallows frame phone and Watson’s Thumper phones from Watson. Furthermore, there is a full-sized Central Office type switching system connected with other pieces of equipment which enables visitors to experience firsthand how communications have advanced since 1900. All these items serve to demonstrate just how far communications have come in 100 years!
The Evolution of the Telephone
This collection illustrates the history and development of telephone technology over over one hundred years – an impressive span that attests to ingenuity, craftsmanship and industry in this sector.
Alexander Graham Bell’s 1876 Inventor’s Phone as well as manual system telephones and equipment can be seen here, along with a full-sized Central Office switching system connected with other pieces of equipment for visitors to interact with.
Early telephone technology allowed subscribers to have two phones connected at any one time – typically, one for home use and the other at work. Subscribers could then call each other anytime by connecting their telephones to a centralized exchange (similar to a telegraph office).
Our collection features numerous manual operator switchboards, such as the Kellogg Universal two-position switchboard. These were once used to connect circuits between cord pairs and lamp pairs of telephones – eventually they were replaced by automatic switching devices that automatically interconnected individual subscriber lines without human operators involvement.
The Telephone and Its Technology
The telephone is one of the world’s most ubiquitous communication devices. Over the decades, its basic design has not significantly evolved; however, advances in electronics have supplemented or even replaced some original Bell circuitry components.
The museum houses an impressive array of telephones and related equipment from its collection, such as replicas of Alexander Graham Bell’s 1875 Gallows Frame telephone and Thomas A. Watson’s first commercial telephone ever created in March 1876. Additionally, wooden wall-mounted phones, operator switchboards, novelty phones, and novelty telephones can be found within its exhibit halls.
The museum features an impressive archive of historical photographs and news articles showcasing innovation, technology, culture, and people spanning more than a century. This includes numerous images depicting line laying process: from erecting poles, digging trenches and installing and maintaining telephone system to place visitors within this history. Moreover, their “Telephone Workshops” promote engineering aspirations by drawing parallels between modern semiconductor architecture and artifacts from its remarkable telephone history.
The Telephone and Its Culture
The telephone was an incredible technological advance that profoundly altered society in various ways. Its impact is still felt today; we use phones to stay in touch wherever we may be located around the globe; business operations become more efficient; it even aids Alzheimer’s sufferers!
The museum houses an expansive collection of antique telephones and communications technology dating back to the early 1800s, such as Alexander Graham Bell’s Gallows Frame telephone and Thomas A. Watson’s Thumper phone – two replicas being imported for use here by Edmonton as early imports. Furthermore, there is also a full functioning operator switchboard and library dedicated to telephone technology related books, catalogs, and technical journals available at this museum.
Fostering enthusiasm for engineering by drawing upon America’s rich telephone history to engage and educate students is at the core of what they do. Their educational programs use vintage tech to compare modern semiconductor architecture while cultivating curiosity that inspired America to invent telephones in the first place and continues to fuel modern-day innovators today.
