Records of the Huntington Telephone Company

Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library

Summary Information

Repository:
Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library
Creator:
Huntington Telephone Company
Title:
Records of the Huntington Telephone Company
ID:
BHC-MSS 0179
Date [inclusive]:
1903-1948
Physical Description:
.8 Linear Feet
Language of the Material:
English .
Abstract:
The Huntington Telephone Company was founded in 1903 and operated out of Huntington, Connecticut for the whole of its existence. Began in response to the need for a local phone exchange, the records in the collection document the finances and activities of the company until it was sold to the Southern New England Telephone Company in 1948, offering insight into the early days of telecommunications in Connecticut.

Preferred Citation

Records of the Huntington Telephone Company (BHC-MSS 0179), Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library.

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Biographical / Historical

The Huntington Telephone Company was founded in 1903 and operated out of Huntington, Connecticut for the whole of its existence.

Early telephones relied on switchboards to direct calls, where one could call into the switch board operator, ask to be connected to a particular business (home telephones were highly uncommon in the early 1900s), and then be put through. For regions outside of cities, it was not uncommon for only one or two businesses to have telephones.

Phone companies ran on a subscriber-based system, which helped cover installation costs and system coverage. This was how the Southern New England Telephone Company (SNET) began in the late 1870s.

In the case of the Huntington Telephone Company, it began with a push from Huntington Farmill River Grange. There was only one telephone in Shelton at the time, and there was a clear need for expansion. Owner O.C. Shelton began the telephone exchange with 19 subscribers, who helped to cover start up costs. It was based out of his home in Huntington, Connecticut.

At it's peak, the Huntington Telephone Company had 121 subscribers. It was sold to SNET in 1948, which took over the exchange.

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Scope and Contents

The collection contains the account book of the company from 1903 into 1954. The articles of agreement and minutes help to document the founding of the company, as well as how phone companies and switch boards operated in the early days of telephones, providing local insight to the telecommunications revolution.

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Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by folder title

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Administrative Information

Publication Statement

Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library

Bridgeport History CenterBridgeport Public Library925 Broad StreetBridgeport, CT 06604Business Number: 203-576-7400 (Extension: #7)URL: https://bportlibrary.org/hc/

Immediate Source of Acquisition

1978.79, donation of the West family.

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Controlled Access Headings

  • Telephones
  • Telephone stations
  • Southern New England Telephone Company

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Collection Inventory

Detailed box/folder listing

Title/DescriptionInstances
Account book, 1903-1954
Box 1 folder 1-3
Articles of agreement, minute book, 1903-1904
Box 1 folder 4
Certificate books, 1906, undated
Box 1 folder 5
Clippings, 1948, undated
Box 1 folder 6
Daybook, 1906-1921
Box 2 folder 1
Index of telephone numbers, c. 1932
Box 2 folder 2
Public Utilities Commission filing, 1932
Box 2 folder 3
Receipts, 1903-1904
Box 2 folder 4
Reports, 1915, 1937
Box 2 folder 5
Stock certificates, 1948
Box 2 folder 6

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