The Museum of Communications is an
exciting hands-on museum of telephone history. The museum serves as
the definitive museum of not only the telephone, but other
commumcations related equipment as well.
The Museum of Communications (formerly
known as the Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum) is located on two
vacated floors of an existing central office building just south of
Seattle, Washington.
Brochure from the Museum of Communications. Click
on the brochure to see the internal pages.
What’s facinating is that the museum is that not only do they have old
telephones of yesteryear of every type imaginable (primarily Western
Electric items), but they also have switching equipment. Yes, actual
old-fashioned switching equipment – such as Step-by-Step, Crossbar,
and even Panel - in operation! You can actually make calls on these
old central office switches! Its like a time machine!
I have wanted to visit the museum for the last several years. I
finally had my opportunity in May 2005.
The following are links to the pictures (and videos) that I took at
the museum.
Museum
of Communications Pages
Museum Background
Start here. This page provides a brief background about the Museum, why it exists, and who runs it.
Third Floor Tour - Switching
Equipment and more
Page 1 |
Page 2
The tour starts on the third floor. Here is where you find old
electromechanical switching equipment, old teletype machines, analog
carrier equipment, old reel-to-reel tape recorders, and even an old
AM radio transmitter.
Second Floor
Tour - Old Telephones and more
Page 1 |
Page 2
After the tour of the third floor, down the elevator you go to the
second floor to check out the old telephones and other equipment.
Parting
Comments
Comments on my visit and what I would do if I were able to visit the
museum again.
Links
to other Museum of Communications Sites
Museum
of Communications - Official Site #1
Official site for the Museum of Communications - hosted by the
Seattle Community Network
Museum
of Communications - Official Site #2
Anoither official site for the Museum of Communications
Vintage Telephone Equipment Museum (Herb & Maria Yeates)
An unofficial website that also describes the switching equipment at
the Museum of Communications - maintained by Herb & Maria Yeates.
Vintage
Telephone Equipment Museum (Privateline.com)
An unofficial website that also describes the switching equipment at
the Museum of Communications - maintained by Privateline.com (Tom
Farley) - photos by Keith Craine.
Vintage
Telephone Equipment Museum (Phone Trips audio)
The above link is an audio tour of the Vintage Telephone Equipment
Museum, recorded in August 2000 and can be found on the
Phone Trips
website. If you want to hear the equipment in action, click on the
above link and be totally blown away by the sounds!
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Page last modified November 28, 2005
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