Brantford in Brant County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Invention of the Telephone/ L’Invention du Téléphone
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 8, 2023
1. The Invention of the Telephone/ L’Invention du Téléphone Marker
Even here at his father's home where he came for rest and peace, Alexander Graham Bell continued to ponder the elusive secret of voice transmission, and it was here, on 26 July 1874, that insight finally came and the fundamental principle of the telephone was conceived. Here also, on 3 and 4 August, 1876, Bell made public demonstrations of his now patented invention, culminating in the world's first long distance call, to Paris, 13 kilometres away, on 10 August.
En repos chez son père, Alexander Graham Bell continuait de penser au secret impénétrable de la transmission de la voix Et c'est ici qu'il perça enfin le secret, le 26 juillet 1874, concevant ainsi le principe fondamental du téléphone. C'est également ici, les 3 et 4 août 1876, qu'il rendit publique son invention, qui venait d'être brevetée. Le 10 août, il fit le premier interurbain du monde, en téléphonant à Paris situé à 13 kilomètres de Brantford.
Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.
Government of Canada Gouvernement du Canada
Erected by Historic
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 26, 1874.
Location. 43° 6.455′ N, 80° 16.215′ W. Marker is in Brantford, Ontario, in Brant County. It is on Tutela Heights Road 0.8 kilometers east of Mount Pleasant Road, on the left when traveling east. The marker is on the grounds of the Bell Homestead National Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 95 Tutela Heights Road, Brantford ON N3T 1A1, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Hamilton-Halton-Brant Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 9, 2023
2. The Invention of the Telephone/ L’Invention du Téléphone Marker
Regarding The Invention of the Telephone/ L’Invention du Téléphone. Unlike this plaque, that older plaque shown in photograph No. 4 below unambiguously says that the long distance call was to a more distant town in Ontario, not to the city across the ocean in France. The first transatlantic call to Paris, France, was completed in 1915. It was a brief test. Commercial telephone service to Europe, via radio-relay, began in 1927.
The plaque in photograph No. 4
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 9, 2023
3. The Bell Homestead
Alexander Graham Bell’s father’s house, where the concept of the the telephone was conveived
Here, at the home of his father, on 26th July, 1874, Alexander Graham Bell disclosed for the first time his conception of the principle of the telephone. From Brantford calls were made to Mount Pleasant on 3rd, to this homestead on 4th, and to Paris, Ontario, on 10th August, 1876. The latter is now recognized as the world’s first long distance call.
Also see . . . The Canadian Encyclopedia - Alexander Graham Bell and the Invention of the Telephone.
On a lazy summer day in 1874, resting in his favourite spot along the Grand River in Brantford, Ont., Alexander Graham Bell conceived of the telephone. He would write years later that "one observation leads to another." Bell had been musing on his work with "visible speech" and the "Harmonic telegraph." Watching the currents in the water, he reflected on sound waves moving through air. Two years later, March 10, 1876, he was speaking into the first telephone, uttering the now-famous instruction to his assistant: "Mr. Watson, come here, I want you."(Submitted on August 10, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 9, 2023
4. Invention of the Telephone marker ca 1930s
Old Government of Canada Historic Sites and Monuments plaque, inside the Bell Homestead.
Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 10, 2023
5. Bell’s first drawing of the telephone
No date, but notated by Bell in 1876
Source: Library of Congress
Credits. This page was last revised on March 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 10, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 410 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 10, 2023, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
