In a age without texting, cell phones, computers, Facebook and other social medias we all use some of these forms of technology today to communicate with in todays world.
A innovation of its own was the early years of telephone service. Switchboards, telephone poles and wires, Operators and the standard non rotary phones and one or two digit phone numbers were all they had. Switchboard operators were your life line to talk to someone if you wanted to reach someone in a few minutes rather than pick up a pen and paper or telegraph and even to just walk or ride there horseback, buggy and if you were lucky to have one in the time of cars beginning drive there.
we are going to visit some of the earlier times through pictures and newspaper clippings.
If you would like to learn more of the Early years of he telephone service in Erie, Kansas please check out the first account interview here: exhibits early phone service
Old telephone used with switchboards. You had a short cord and had to pick up the earpiece and speak into the microphone on the front and had limited length to move far from the phone to have a simple conversation. In order to make a call you had to ask the operator to connect you to the receiving party on the other end of the line.
Erie Telephone Exchange began in the top story of the Bank of Erie on the SW corner of 2nd and Main. Later a new building was built by Southwestern Bell in 1904 facing 2nd Street and Grant on the Southeast corner.
Image above is from the Erie Record newspaper showing Mrs. Mabel Knecht in 1907. Mrs. Knecht was with the Telephone service through 1907 until her retirement in 1955 which is pictured below with Jennie Pierce.
Call Girls: AKA Operators
Erie/St Paul Telephone Exchange in the upper story of the Bank of Erie. Class of Call Girls Learning to handle calls. Left to right Anna Siler, Norma Ewing Shackelton, Mabel Herod Knecht, Chloe Sherlock, Marie Babcock, Maude Smith, Wayne Franklin. Photo given to the museum by Ronda Greve Stevenson
Call Girls of Erie Kansas Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
Pictured left to right: Alta Ruth (Cox)McKinney, LLoydeen (Locks) Hines, Lottie (Tipping) Bass, Mary (Smith) Harding, Ernestine (Kusel) Stephens, Edith (Whitworth) Crapson. (Picture was Donated by Genevieve Pierce.)
Tools of the Trade:
Photo of a Telephone Chair and Rotary Phone on display at the museum.
50 Years advertisement from the Erie Record telephone services.
Awards and pins some of the operators received and wore:
The Complete collection of Early Telephone service can be viewed in its entirety at the museum. We would like to thank everyone for their continued support.