TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH

Reliable information on telephone and telegraph operations in the community are at the moment virtually non existent. It is known that Ithaca and Auburn were connected by telegraph probably before 1850.

It is reasonable to presume that Weedsport and other villages received the service soon after it came to Auburn. Also with three busy railroads in the Community the telegraph must have been available to local residents.

The oldest telegram among the historical society holdings is a night message transmitted by Western Union Telegraph Company dated November 1, 1900. In 1908 N. G. Taylor, a prominent Weedsport jeweler, was manager of the local Western Union Office. A few years earlier the office was located in the Burrift Opera House Block.

During the 1940's Western Union and the Town of Brutus were in almost continuous confrontation over assesments. During that period the company was gradually removing or selling its wires to other companies.

Data on the telephone in the Brutus-Weedsport area is in almost as short supply as that on the telegraph. The earliest note on the telephone is an item in the Weedsport Sentinel dated February 1880 which stated that Port Byron, Weedsport and Throop would "soon connect with Auburn."

The Historical Society has a bill dated October 2,1893 wherein the Empire State Telephone Company requested that the Village of Weedsport pay $1.30 for telephoning to Auburn twice and to Syracuse three times. The same company is known to have presented bills to various people between 1901 ad 1908. Frances C. Howland receipted bills in 1906 and Ruth H. Cowell in 1907 and 1908.

In 1906 H.E. Stickly receipted toll calls in the Weedsport office of the Weedsport office of the Weedsport, Jordan and Elbridge Telephone Company.

By 1912 the New York Telephone Company was maintaining an ofice in the village. A report by the State Tax Commission dated May 1944 lists among oter things 99 telephone instuments outside the villageand 340 within. It also lists a central ofice building valued at $1105 and a 220 line switchboard vallued at $9900. The building was located at 8810 Soouth Seneca Street. The above building was built and equipped in 1939 and on June 13 of that year at 7:00 in the morning the telephone "operator" service passed into oblivion and the dial took over. The event marked the passing, in Weedsort of one of the nation's most beloved institutions- the "Telephone Operator." The operator knew every subscriberusing her exchnge and always stood ready to ofer assistance in cases of public or private emerency. The called the docto ersonally if you asked her. fire calls demanded special attention according to Mildred Dolph, who with Frances Howland were the operators at the time the manual switchboard was taken out of service. First the fire chief was called, then the other members of the epartmant. When the siren blew bedla really boke loose. Everybody, firemen and non-firemen, all at the same time wanted to know the location of the fire.

The operators collected the bills too.

At te time of the 1939 Changeover, the switchboard was locatd on the second floor of the Burritt Building at 8885 South Seneca Street. Ealier it has been situated on the second floor of the south section of the present First Trust and Deposit Company bank. Mrs. Dolph was operating the board when the transfer took place, ending 28 years of sevice with the Company. Frances Howland also spent many years at the switcboard. Others who served as local operators over the years include Marie McPeak, Doris Lockwood, Mary Doyle Moore, Anne Klink and Ada Campbell.

The New York telephone Company has done well its efforts to meet the demands for more telephones, better and faster service.

In 1958 200 new terminals were installed at Weedsport to be added to the 500 already in service.Changes made in 1961 enabled Weedsport custoomers to dial toll-free to neighboring Auburn and Jordan. Port Byron serviced by a privately owned company, joined the toll-free group in 1963. In the same year the Weedsport Central office building was enlarged to provide space for additional equipment, Direct Distance Dialing was introduced into te Auburn area on June 14, 1964.