Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Vintage Thingies Thursday




You may think you have seen everything. Trust me, you have not. When you visit Coloradolady for Vintage Thingies Thursday, you will definitely see something you have not seen before.




May you find something interesting in my showing of how time has changed the lines of communication. THIS WAS BACK IN THE 18th CENTURY.
In 1885 these were operators sitting at a small switchboard.

This is an old PBX board that was used during this period in certain business.


THIS IS THE 19th CENTURY.



This little building housed the telephone office in which the following ladies worked during the 40's and 50's. As you can see, the picture is not too good as it was raining when I tried to make it. Since then, no telling how many other people have made use of this little building.


< - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 >

Take a look at the lady in the 5th seat from the front. Guess who that is. She along with the others worked this manual switchboard until 1959. At that time, the office was converted to dial system.







THIS IS THE 20th CENTURY.




35 comments:

deb said...

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at your old pictures! Times have changed huh?! *hugs*deb

Postcardy said...

I guess that must be you and the building where you worked.

ClassyChassy said...

What a trek back in time!!! It's amazing isn't it? But, what - no PONY EXpREsS? Didn't you ride a horse? Just kidding - have a great day!

Heart2Heart said...

LV,

What a great way to share just how much communications have truly come. Before that was the old morse code machines and telegraphs before phones.

Quick question, with so many other ladies seated next to you was it hard to hear?

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

★Carol★ said...

Hi LV! I really enjoyed this post! You sure worked in close quarters, so you must have gotten to know each other very well! Great trip through time, and I love the old phones!
Happy VTT!

JEWELGIRL said...

I always laughed at the husband on
"Green Acres" TV show how he had to
climb the pole to answer the phone.
This post was a cool trip through time! Enjoyed the pictures too!

Jane said...

It is so ironic that you posted about phones and being a telephone operator because I was going to post pictures of my vintage phones (several of which I got from the neighbor I had when I was growing up who was also a telephone operator). I didn't have time today to dig out all of the phones and take pictures so I switched gears and went a different route this week. Loved reading your post....it is amazing how the phone system has changed over the years!

Old Time Cindy said...

Nice post and picture of you as a working gal.
Thanks for sharing!
Living it up at Lakewood,
Cindy

Sherrie said...

Love the pictures! It amazing how far we've come!

Thank you for sharing these pictures :0)

Happy VTT

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Oh LV,
I so love the picture of you ladies sitting at the switchboard. You are as beautiful today as you were then, honey you haven't aged a day. I love it. Aren't you just the sweetest little thing? My how the times have changed. Is that a little heater sitting on the floor next to the switchboard table? I thought I remember seeing one of those a long time ago. Thanks for sharing. Just lovely post honey, just lovely. Country hugs and love, Sherry

Sandi (Meme) said...

LOVE your blog! and I'm in LOVE with your age and enthusiasm! I am currently working with much older people than you in therapy, and enjoy every minute of it. I can never hear enough of the "way things used to be!" By the way, the weather in Kansas has been wonderful this year, not too many storms around us, anyway. Thanks for stopping by my blog, I'm going to follow yours because I CAN! You can do the same if you'd like! Have a great week!

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

Oh how I love this post. And loved seeing you at your switchboard! You were so pretty and delicate and have not changed.

farmlady said...

That was you! Oh my gosh.

Haven't times change? Do you look back on that job with fond memories? I'll bet you and your co-workers were tired after "making connections" all day.
In the 60's I wanted a job with the phone company. Got married and had a baby instead. It was a good paying job for a woman then.

Great pictures and old phones. I still like the old ones.

greenhoneyhive said...

Growing up we had an OLD phone in our house...It must have been one of the first made...We used that phone until we could no long since it was not digital and we could not get phone service with it....My mom cried. That new phone was just never the same.

Maureen said...

times they are a changin'

Sarah said...

A splash of the past. brought a smile to my day.

Blessings for your night,
Sarah Dawn

marian said...

i loved reading your post, LV..love the old pics and that wall mounted phone..is that you in the photo?..i remember working a PBX switchboard at the company i worked for in the late 60s..thanks for sharing it was lotsa fun :)

Ulla said...

This was a great guided tour through the changes in telephone history! My mother (93) has experienced all this from the big wooden thing on the wall to a mobile phone.

Maggie said...

What a great post, so very interesting.
LV, I'm guessing that sweet young thing was you, n'est pas?
a bientot
Maggie @ Normandy Life

Cal said...

What a wonderful trip through time. Thank you. x

aspiritofsimplicity said...

Things sure have changed haven't they! Boy that sure is one great looking dame sitting the fifth from the front!

Coloradolady said...

I am guessing you two did not get anything done but take pictures on your trip....hum?????

great post.....most interesting....

Have a great VTT and a wonderful weekend.

Jocelyn said...

LaVoice, Wow I loved your pictures. Times sure have changed :-)

Jocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

Candace said...

How cool, LaVoice! Is that you in the photo? I remember when we had party lines and how if you had an emergency you had to tell the party to please get off the phone! I also remember not having to dial a prefix or area code - just 4 numbers! Those were the days!
Cheers!

Jingle said...

This is such a neat post! Thank you so much for taking us on this little travel through time!

Unknown said...

LOVED the old pictures! One of the vintage ads I love the best is the phone company ads... so I totally loved the old pics of how the phone system has changed. and lol on the NEW phone :)

Diann @ The thrifty Groove said...

Thanks for the walk down memory lane of communication! What awesome pictures!

Keetha Broyles said...

Funny you should post this today - - - I had an idea to post about phones too, I just haven't posted ANYTHING yet.

I REMEMBER those switch boards as late as the early 70's!!!! I even have a friend who WORKED on one.

Annacarin said...

Oh, it's easy to forget how it was...And today we are habit to have so many things!
Thanks you for sharing with us.
hugs Annacarin

AnnA said...

Hi LV!
You are telling us telephonehistory this time, and you too are involver in it. It is amazing, how time is changing, isn't it?(Fact is: one of my phones is an old one with a roundshaped dialer from the 70ties, and some young people don't know how to use it...)
Thank's for your comments of my blogpost from the marketing of this swedish castle called "Bäckaskog castle". Maybe I will make some more posts about the castlegarden...
Have a nice weekend!/
AnnA

George said...

Thanks for sharing with us the evolution of communications. How long did you work for the phone company?

teresa said...

Very interesting post. I have a friend who was a telephone operator as well. Amazing the changes that have occured. Mind boggling really. Who would have thought we would ever be able to walk around talking to anywhere in the world with out a chord? Sometimes I wonder if it is a good thing. Mostly it is, but sometimes we should be disconnected from the world. Thanks for visiting my blog. I am glad I was able to find yours.

Keetha Broyles said...

I went ahead and did my little "phone" post that looks like I copied you - - - - I was just REALLY late getting to the party.

Kathi Fly said...

Love your post!!! So interesting. Great photo of you, would you mind if I copied it and used it in a collage? Bet you love your iPhone now! Things have changed.

Randy C said...

What a coincidence, I was looking around for a "vintage thingy" to post and joked to my wife that we could take a picture of the phone on my desk.

My mother just gave me her old dial phone that she used to lease from Ma Bell. I have been frustrated trying to find a decent phone that doesn't crackle. I hate phone numbers with lots of 9's and 0's again!

RandyC