Before I take you on a new “Armchair Adventure”, I need to give you a bit of background. My husband Ed worked for Alberta Government Telephones as a repairman, lineman, and plant inspector in the early 1950s. Most of his work was in rural districts, but when he was transferred to head office in Edmonton, other business opportunities came his way, and he resigned with over 10 years of experience in the telephone industry.

In the 1980s he began to collect vintage telephones, which kept increasing through a variety of opportunities. He received encouragement, information, and help from collectors Ron and Mary Knappen in Gainsville, WI.

A couple of years ago, a local TV program interviewed Mary and filmed a tour of their private facilities and museum. It may not be of interest to everyone, but I thought it may be a different experience to have a peak at the largest collection in the U.S.A.  Here’s the link to the YouTube video …

"Mary at PhoneCo"

Discover Trempealeau County October 30th 2012

I created a page on NOTH to try and get Ed interested, but with no success. His page is still up (with a little help from his wife). His username is OLDPHONEMAN, or can be found by clicking on the red telephone on my page.    

Warning: the video is a bit over an hour long.

Tags: Hobby Vintage Telephone Phone