We took a tour of a small museum called the Herbert H. Warrick Jr. Museum of Communications. The museum basically shows the history of the telephone and all the equipment that makes it work. Bill wanted to see this museum because 25 years ago he worked for a company where he validated telephone switches and he was curious about whether they had any of that equipment on display. Exhibits from 1876, starting with a model of Alexander Graham Bell’s first successful telephone to the modern phones of today were on exhibit. A volunteer gave us a tour and he was an excellent guide whose knowledge and enjoyment of the subject was evident. The amazing thing was that virtually all the exhibits are operational. It was truly a one of a kind museum!

A Step by Step switching system designed in 1889 and is being used today

Panel switching system designed in 1914 to route calls and provide dial tone

This is an AT&T washing machine – they tried to build everything

This is how phone lines were strung on individual insulators

This is the pay-scale from 1899 at the phone company

Radio amateur equipment