Switchboard operators at Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. — 10/7/1937 — #15065_1
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Photograph Copyright Anderson & Middleton Company
United States — Washington (State) — Hoquiam
Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co.
Thanks to Sam Talley, who writes: "You had to talk to an operator when placing a call, giving her your desired number, and she would call it. Operators were always women, never men. Our number was 'ABerdeen 2182-R'. The R connotated a party line which meant three and four households were on the same line; and if you were nosey, you could listen in on other's conversations. Each party had its own ring. Ours was two short rings which would sound about every 3 seconds until you answered the phone. There were also single long rings, two long rings, and single short rings. If a student's mother was an operator, she could come on the line from the telephone office and suggest you had been talking long enough and to hang up. I had a younger girl on our party line and she would snoop in on my conversations for some of my girlfriends. Most households had one phone that had to be shared with all household members. Private conversations were at a minimum. Kids would talk while under a blanket on the couch, talk while in a closet, etc.”
