These old phones were great for "catching up on all the news", my mother made us all keep quiet -- do not know what would have happened if we had made a noise. We learned we could identify the various ones who were SILENTLY joining in the conversation -- someone's large clock ticking, the barking of a German Shepherd dog, a small crying baby. The fun of living in EARLY COUNTRY! Muriel M. Davidson [email protected] http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~downhome/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Beverley Gutenberg" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 5:21 PM Subject: Re: [Grey Co.] Phone # in 1934, and 1948 > You forgot to mention the short and long rings as well as the party lines. > All phones were connected to a telephone exchange and often it was a sevice > of the family to run to get the person who is being called. The family who > ran the exchange amy have lived in the building. Telephones were indeed a > luxury item. My family did not get a phone until the 1960's but then we > didn't have indoor toilets until the year after we got a phone. I still > think of long distance calls being an expensive conversation. > Bev > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nelson Denton" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 2:41 PM > Subject: Re: [Grey Co.] Phone # in 1934, and 1948 > > > > In early years phones were in short supply and were expensive luxuries. It > > was not uncommon for people to share a phone with others in their > > neighbourhood to save money. People didn't phone each other very often, > mail > > was cheaper and often faster to get a reply. - there were no answering > > machines or *69 auto call-backs. > > "Party Lines" where everyone on the same street had their phone ring as > one > > was very common even in the 1960's > > > > 2 - 4 digit phone numbers were very common in the early part of the > century > > with longer numbers being added as towns got larger and more folks got > > phones. After a while it was changed to 5 digits then 7 with the first > two > > digits being letters FRanklin 61566 or PEnnsylvania-65000 instead of > > numbers so people could remember then easier. > > > > Now we're are up to 10+ digit numbers :-(( and Owen Sound is still Long > > Distance. > > > > Somewhere I have a very old business paper which list our company phone > > number as being "58" or some such 2 digit number. Way back in ~1910! > > > > Nelson Denton > > R. A. Denton & Son > > Pipe Organ Builders > > > > Sucessors to > > Walter and David Spencer > > Organbuilders and Furniture Makers > > Owen Sound ~1862~1870 > > Walter Spencer in Hamilton > > 1870-1910 --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.486 / Virus Database: 284 - Release Date: 5/29/03