The world of interpersonal communications began a major revolution in 1876 when inventor Alexander Graham Bell filed for a patent on the telephone, beating inventor Elisha Gray by a matter of hours. Commercial telephone service in the United States began the following year.
Over the past century, telephones have changed. Today, many people have never placed a call through an operator, or used a rotary dial phone, or heard a phone actually ring using bells, or used a pay phone or a phone booth. Most phones today are not connected to a telephone line.
Shown below are some of the telephone displays in several museums.
The Telephone Exchange
In 1878, the first commercial telephone exchange was established in New Haven, Connecticut in which multiple telephone subscribers could connect via an operator for a monthly fee. At the end of the first month, there were 50 customers. The following year the idea of assigning the telephone customers a number emerged in which callers would ask the operator to connect with a certain number rather than giving her (operators were always women) a name.
The American Telephone and Telegraph Company was created in 1885 to operate the long distance telephone network. The number of independent telephone companies increased dramatically after the original telephone patents expired in 1893.
The telephone exchange may have had some corruption problems as some business owners felt that unscrupulous operators were transferring calls to their competitors. In 1891, a Kansas City undertaker invented the first automatic dialing system to overcome this perceived problem and to get rid of operators.
Business Phones and Pay Phones
In the beginning, telephones were installed primarily in business and thus, places like the general store became the place where people would go to place phone calls. In order to make money from this public use of telephones, coin operated telephones were developed and, for privacy in making calls, the phone booth was created.
According to the display in the Heritage Station Museum in Pendleton, Oregon:
“The first public coin telephone was installed in 1889 in a bank in Hartford, Connecticut. Coins were deposited with an attendant after the call was made. The early telephone booths were constructed of durable hardwood. They were often carpeted and included windows with screens and a ventilator.
In 1905 the first outdoor coin telephone was installed in Cincinnati, Ohio. It wasn’t an instant hit as people were reluctant to make private calls on a public thoroughfare. Glass outdoor telephone booths began to replace wooden booths in the 1950s.”
Crank-Style Phones
Lustron House, Ohio History Center, Columbus, Ohio
Museum of Mental Health, Salem, Oregon
Lake Chelan Historical Society Museum, Chelan, Washington
Northern Pacific Depot Museum, Wallace, Idaho
Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, Missoula, Montana
East Benton County Museum, Kennewick, Washington
Heritage Station Museum, Pendleton, Oregon
According to the display:
“From the beginning, telephone operator work was almost exclusively a female job. Operators helped customers make long distance calls, provided information and made sure the system worked smoothly.
In the early days of the telephone, it was common to refer to these workers as ‘hello girls.’ Operators manually connected calls using cable with plugs at each end. However, as the telephone became more popular, manual switching became impractical and was eventually replaced with automatic electromechanical switching devices.”
Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum Hood River, Oregon
San Bernardino County Museum, Redlands, California
Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro, Oregon
Dumas Brothel Museum, Butte, Montana
Klager House, Woodland, Washington
This Victorian farmhouse in Woodland, Washington was built in 1889 and is now a National Historic Site.
Heritage Museum, Libby, Montana
Historical Society Museum, Poulsbro, Washington
More museum exhibits
Museums 301: Sewing machines (photo diary)
Museums 301: Wood-fired kitchen ranges (photo diary)
Museums 301: Dinnerware (photo diary)
Museums 301: Gas stations and garages (photo diary)
Museums 301: Carriages and Wagons (photo diary)
Museums 301: The Blacksmith Shop (photo diary)
Museums 301: The Blacksmith Shop (photo diary)
Museums 301: Hats (photo diary)