Hauenstein Brewery in New Ulm MN was "2" Not sure what number "1" was but obviously this German community knew as soon as the phones came what the first numbers should be!
When I was a kid my Grandparents in Iowa had a party line. We use to listen to the old ladies gossip. They would say "I know someone is on the line get off." I have this old phone hooked up in my house. it works but when you talk on it other people say it sounds funny like you are in a tunnel or something. My parents had it converted back in the 1970's.
My Parents still have the same phone number since there marriage in 1956, though it has grown from five digits to ten. Local "Estate-Sales" can sometimes score you some old phone books. Cooter
Kind of off topic from the post, but when I was a kid if we dialed something like 9 + the last four of our number and hung the phone up it would ring itself. Did anyone else ever do that?
We had one that Gomez Addams or Herman Munster would approve of, (HE)mlock 758211. It was a "party line" so you had to wait for the neighbors to hang up to make a call, or listen and join in and piss them off... Eventually the folks splurged the $2.50 a month a private line cost.
Yea we use to do that when I was a kid. Don't remember what the number was but it was some sort of phone test.
This one might help also: http://ourwebhome.com/TENP/History.detailed.html#Sylvia Gallus, Thu, 26 Sep 1996
I lettered my '38 Ford pickup as a shop truck for Drake Motor Co., the Ford dealer in my home town, Rockmart GA, from the Model T days until Mr. Drake's death in 1956. I was talking with my father on the phone one Saturday morning before I did the lettering and told him that I sure do wish I could find out what the phone number was for Drake Motor Co. back in the '30s. Daddy said, "I'll find out for you. Miss Margaret Johnson was the phone operator in Rockmart back then. She's in the nursing home but her mind's still good." (Miss Johnson died recently, 101 years old). Daddy went to see her and asked her, "Miss Margaret, do you remember what the phone number was for Drake Motor Co.?" Without hesitation, she said, "13." So my truck is lettered, "Drake Motor Co. 115 N. Marble St., Rockmart, GA, Phone 13."
That's the same phone we had when I was a kid in NE, minus the dial. Our phone number, as listed in the book was 1111F13. Equals 4 short rings on line 13. To get the operator you just picked up the earpiece, listened to be sure no-one was on your line and then gave the hand crank a good long spin. You'd usually hear "Number Please" in a few seconds unless the operator was asleep or busy with other calls... Carry your phone around with you? Who'd want to do that?!
''...when I was a kid if we dialed something like 9 + the last four of our number and hung the phone up it would ring itself.'' There are a bunch of codes like this for linemen and such...secret tech...who know'sem? There's one that will tell you the number of the phone you are dialing from, one to ring other phones on same line (the same as the above?) and a bunch of others...you need a phone to build a car, this might be useful stuff. ++++++++++++++++++++++ Z
From my own personal experience, the letters correlate with the numbers on the phone.... i.e. SU9 later became 789, CE became 23 and so on.
Here's another one. I doubt it's comprehensive, but you can search by city, state, etc. http://rcrowe.brinkster.net/tensearch.aspx
Dayton Ohio early 40's number was AX3-8051 Later changed to 293-8051 kept it until I moved my mom into a rest home in 1999. That Roothawg is pretty slick!
I have a door off an old ford dealers service truck in Indiana. The truck was a 51 and for a number it said on the door. Phone .34
This thing will give you the full exchange name, Like my exchange NAME had I lived here is Juniper6-**** http://rcrowe.brinkster.net/tensearch.aspx
41091 (at least in Ontario) Holy **** I haven't thought of that for years. Where the hell does this stuff get stored in the brain? I can't even remember where I parked my car.
This thread brought back a memory of my youth.... Mom was divorced and worked as an operator. I was home alone (at 6 years old) and if I needed her I just picked up the phone and asked for my mom. I also vividly remember the one day I picked up the phone to call her and got a DIAL TONE. I thought I had broken the phone and was scared to tell Mom when she came home that night. Different times for sure.
I need to find what the numbers for the Camden Ohio area were back in the 30s so I can put it on the doors of my 37 chevy p/u,next time I go through there I should see if the town still has a library and see what I can find.
At the library, look for old newspapers...or just write to any newspapers that are still around, ask if they have old issues they could scan some ads out of or something.
I grew up in South Minneapolis in the 60's. The phone numbers I remember had the two letters followed by five numbers. Mine was PA9-2167 (PA = parkway), others I remember used TA= taylor, FE = federal, UN = union.
Hell YEA..I remember that..! Was like the cool "secret" in 5th grade.. Hadn't thought of that in many years...thanks
The Jalopy Journal
