Laredo in Webb County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Laredo Telephone Exchange

Photographed By James Hulse, July 29, 2022

1. Laredo Telephone Exchange Marker

Inscription. Telephone service came to Laredo in 1884, just eight years after Alexander Graham Bell obtained the first telephone patent. Housed here in the home of Lázaro and María del Refugio de la Garza (later the home of the Bruni family), the exchange housed equipment that provided telephone service to both Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. Wires were strung from the roofs of buildings and on trees to connect residences and businesses to the new communication device. By 1924, fifteen switchboard operators provided assistance to more than 2,000 customers. As the business grew and more modern equipment was put into use, the exchange moved to a number of other locations in the downtown area.

Erected 2001 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12397.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Hispanic Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1884.

Location. 27° 30.126′ N, 99° 30.398′ W. Marker is in Laredo, Texas, in Webb County. Marker is at the intersection of Zaragoza Street and Flores Avenue on Zaragoza Street. The marker is located in front of the building by the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1101 Zaragoza Street, Laredo TX 78040, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Leyendecker House (within shouting distance

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of this marker); The Republic of the Rio Grande (within shouting distance of this marker); Capitol, Republic of the Rio Grande (within shouting distance of this marker); Benavides Brothers (within shouting distance of this marker); Original Site of Villa De Laredo (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Laredo Election Riot, 1886 (about 300 feet away); St. Augustine Parochial School (about 400 feet away); The Ramón Family (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Laredo.

Also see . . . Telephone exchange. Wikipedia

In the era of the electrical telegraph, its principal users were post offices, railway stations, the more important governmental centers (ministries), stock exchanges, very few nationally distributed newspapers, the largest internationally important corporations, and wealthy individuals. Despite the fact that telephone devices existed before the invention of the telephone exchange, their success and economical operation would have been impossible on the same schema and structure of the contemporary
Photographed By James Hulse, July 29, 2022

2. The historic Laredo Telephone Exchange and Marker
telegraph, as prior to the invention of the telephone exchange switchboard, early telephones were hardwired to and communicated with only a single other telephone (such as from an individual's home to the person's business.

(Submitted on August 1, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

A Telephone Exchange operator in Richardson, Texas image. Click for full size.

Public Domain - Richardson Historical and Genealogical Society, circa 1900

3. A Telephone Exchange operator in Richardson, Texas

The view of the Laredo Telephone Exchange Marker from the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, July 29, 2022

4. The view of the Laredo Telephone Exchange Marker from the street

Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 134 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 1, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.