Mount Airy in Carroll County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Telephone Exchange Building
1910
— Historic Downtown Mount Airy —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 5, 2022
1. The Telephone Exchange Building Marker
Inscription.
The Telephone Exchange Building. This was the 3rd site of the Mount Airy Telephone Exchange. Telephone exchanges were housed in private residences. Mount Airy's first operator was Bessie Davis, who worked out of this home that was once the hub of modern telephone communication in Mount Airy. Telephone calls, usually using three digit numbers followed by a letter that identified the intended party, would come into this building and into multiple switchboards. Live local operators, known as the "Hello Girls", who were residents and more than likely knew the intended party, would connect the caller. The switch boards had hundreds of little holes in a patch board each connected to a telephone number. To connect an incoming call to a specific telephone number, the operator would insert a patch cord between the hole for the incoming line and the hole of the line of the intended subscriber. There could be multiple subscribers per line: this was known as a party line. Calls could be identified by number of rings, but conversations could easily be listened in on by others, if one remained silent during the conversation. Few single party lines existed. Have times changed?
This was the 3rd site of the Mount Airy Telephone Exchange. Telephone exchanges were housed in private residences. Mount Airy's first operator was Bessie Davis, who worked out of this home that was once the hub of modern telephone communication in Mount Airy. Telephone calls, usually using three digit numbers followed by a letter that identified the intended party, would come into this building and into multiple switchboards. Live local operators, known as the "Hello Girls", who were residents and more than likely knew the intended party, would connect the caller. The switch boards had hundreds of little holes in a patch board each connected to a telephone number. To connect an incoming call to a specific telephone number, the operator would insert a patch cord between the hole for the incoming line and the hole of the line of the intended subscriber. There could be multiple subscribers per line: this was known as a party line. Calls could be identified by number of rings, but conversations could easily be listened in on by others, if one remained silent during the conversation. Few single party lines existed. Have times changed?
Erected 2014.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Women.
Location.
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39° 22.59′ N, 77° 9.295′ W. Marker is in Mount Airy, Maryland, in Carroll County. Marker is on South Main Street south of Center Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 112 S Main St, Mount Airy MD 21771, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 5, 2022
2. Mount Airy markers display
Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 500 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on June 6, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on June 5, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.