Donor Name:Bell Telephone
Associated Place: Centralia, ON
Item #: N000.2804

After the invention of the telephone in 1874, many people began to install telephones in their homes and offices.  In order to make a telephone call, a person was required to call the operator who would connect their phone call at a central switchboard using the connecting cords and plugs.   The black headset sitting at the front of the switchboard allowed the operator to speak with the callers.  Telephone operators were primarily women as boys seldom had the patience to politely sit and wait for the calls.

• Switchboard used at Centralia Central until 1960