The Story of Telephony in Georgia and the Georgia Telephone Association I ARMS ACROSS GEORGIA A History of Telephony in the State of Georgia and of the Georgia Telephone Association By Carolyn J. Stewart STANDARD TELEPHONE COMPANY P.O. Box 400 2000 Industrial Boulevard Cornelia, Georgia GEORGIA Uelepkone ^^iocUUton SUITE 8 1900 CENTURY BLVD., ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30345 (404) 321-5440 Dear Friends: When the telephone was in its infancy, there were a few dedicated people who had the foresight to envision the telephone as it is used today. With little or no capital and very limited experience, these people forged into and unknown and untried field with inexhaustable determination. They were and are the backbone of our country. Their perseverance and dedi- cation should be acknowledged. It is for these generations past and the generations in the future that we feel it is important to preserve the story of telephony in this state. The significance of this book is not only to protect the past, but also to re- mind us to maintain that same dedication to our future endeavors. The advances of the telephone and its related fields since those early days are enormous, but even more astonishing is the fact that we have only begun to scratch the surface. With the same dedication as those who have gone before us, we can achieve things inconceivable to us now. In preserving the industry's origins we hope we will inspire the men and women of the telephone industry to aspire to even greater achievements by following the ideals left for us. With hard work and a dedication to excellence we will maintain our position as the most technologically sophisticated country in the world. Very truly yours. (Mrs.) Betty A. Gleaton President - Georgia Telephone Association BG/pd ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many telephone companies and individuals were willing to join in this endeavor by searching for information and taking the time to complete their histories which collectively depict the evolution of telephony in the state of Georgia. In addition, the staff at the Georgia Telephone Association office provided assistance. There are some wonderful people at Standard Telephone Company without whom I could never have completed this project. First, Mr. Standard Telephone Company himself, H. M. Stewart, Sr., whose keen mind and well kept records are the largest part of the reference material. Sally Welborn, Clara Martin, Kay Shore, Deborah Wright, and Glenda Boling either typed, rewrote or proofed and Kay and Sally did all three. A special bouquet goes to my familyMilt, Jeb, and Jill for their understan- ding during this project. Colonel Bob Alford (Georgia Public Service Commission) and J. F. Callaham (Southern Bell) now retired, troubled themselves to bring and to mail a great deal of information to me; I am sure in large part because of their high regard for their friends who caused the arms of telephony to reach across Georgia. A special thank you to all of you who were so generous with your help and support. FROM THE AUTHOR I love old things. I love old houses, dusty trunks, funny hats, sweet old people, old telephone books, and... ...by the way whatever happened to those old wooden wall telephones? One comes upon it suddenly, the realization that old things are gone. They depart in swift shadows and time, like ice, melts away. Perhaps more important than things are treasured memories. And just as important is listening to others as they joyfully ramble through their memories. The subject of memories brings a welcome invitation to journey to bygone days when those wooden telephones were in full use hanging on the wall, when stove pipes need- ed oiling, when kids seldom wore shoes and friends were made without even trying. Dreams came and went while somewhere near the courthouse square a telephone operator kept vigil over all that happened and not far from her the telephones vibrated and jingled with the cranking of the handles and those were the days. The telephone industry is relatively new, and there is a wonderful, invisible scrapbook of the legend of its development that exists in the memories of some of our earliest pioneers. I think they too loved old things, those who wanted this telephone heritage recorded. We are in an age of collecting things from the past. Perhaps others realize the uniqueness of the telephony industry. If these historical accounts do not add pages to your own scrapbook of memories, we hope that they bring joy and pride that will hold a special place in your heart, that you are a part of an industry that came like a comet and still flares. INTRODUCTION In the noth anniversary year of the invention of the telephone, the 1985-86 officers and directors of the Georgia Telephone Association took the steps that prompted this publication. The move was in response to a growing concern that the history of the Association and the individual telephone companies in Georgia be preserved and was further motivated by a nationwide preservation campaign by the historical committee (headed by Joe Keating, Jr.Thorpe, Wisconsin) of the Independent Telephone Pioneer Association. When approached to head up the project, I accepted with reluctance, having some feeling for the enormity of the job. However, the difficulty of assembling an accurate historical narrative was offset by the enthusiasm and encouragement displayed by each individual with whom I spoke about the project or called upon for assistance. The timeliness of this historical project is evidenced by the rapid change that has taken place in the telephone industry in just a few short years, a change at least partial- ly caused by the breakup of the Bell system and the push by regulatory bodies to in- crease competition in telecommunications. As this story began to take shape, the intention was to present a broader scope of the industry in Georgia, but it became apparent that full development was not feasible. The non-independent company story, while closely intertwined, was a separate, exciting story. On the other hand, the puzzle is not complete without all the parts. A Georgia Telephone Association history should therefore be centered on the Cinderella story of the independents. In doing so, we regret that a significant part of the storythe extraordinary leadership and the accomplishments of the larger companiesare not adequately portrayed. Every effort was made to ensure that the basic material in this publication is correct. Regretfully, however, many early pioneers and trailblazers are no longer with us and, with their passing, has gone masses of information and verification. Still, it is surpris- ing how much good evidence remains. We will be amply rewarded for our efforts if the industry is viewed with fresh eyes and if we all have a greater appreciation for the early telephone pioneers and for the way the telephone has changed our lives. This work is presented with the hope that the Arms Across Georgia will not only bring to mind the actual wooden bar, known as the crossarm, at the top of the pole but will be a symbol of the early pioneering spirit that will continue to embrace and uplift those who make up the telephone family of Georgia. So that we may preserve that spirit and continue to learn from the past, we must be assured that records are preserved. What follows is an attempt to do just that. As we begin our sojourn into the history of telephony in Georgia, it is appropriate that we first salute the umbilical story of the inventor and the weathered watchmen who introduced the transmission of intelligence to America. CONTENTS Arms Across Georgia Part One THE BIRTH OF TELEPHONY...............................12 Part Two TELEPHONY IN GEORGIA.................................20 Part Three GEORGIA TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION...........................88 Part Four INDEPENDENT TELEPHONE PIONEER ASSOCIATION.............114 Part Five GEORGIA TELEPHONE COMPANY PROFILES...................122 Part One THE BIRTH OF TELEPHONY The telephone carried its first complete sentence when Bell, about to test the transmitter shown on the table, inadvertently spilled some acid and called to his assistant, Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!" Thomas A. Watson, thinking it a test message, rushed in saying, Mr. Bell, I heard every word you saiddistinctly. The Birth Of Telephony More than a few inventors were scrambling to present the first voice simulators. Names such as Elisha Gray, Daniel Drawbaugh, A. E. Dolbear, and Thomas Edison were prominent in the quest. Among pioneer contributors in the field, the most well-known was Alex- ander Graham Bell. Bell, who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 3,1847, was a man of great talent, curiosity and education, also he possessed instinctively inventive reasoning. At his funeral on August 4, 1922, telephones all over the world re- mained silent for one minute in remem- brance of this remarkable inventor. The Bell Company is a lasting monument to its namesake for one of the greatest discoveries of all times. Although the principle of the instru- ment we now know as the telephone was patented by Bell in early 1876, history reveals the idea may have existed as ear- ly as 1858. It is reported that about that time an article appeared in a scientific journal published in France which sug- gested the possibilities of electro- mechanically reproducing the human voice. We are further told that a copy of this article fell into the hands of a Ger- man by the name of Philip Reis who set to work trying to fabricate such a con- traption. It is said that by 1860 he had developed an apparatus that would transmit unintelligible sound waves which seems to have been the limit of his achievement. That models of the Reis set were later found as far away as New York City is evidenced in the fact that the Amos Dolbear instrument, which was used by the Western Union Telegraph Company about 1879, was said to have been patterned after the Reis design. Since it appears the Western Union Telegraph Company was 12 The next years were devoted to developing, financing, and defending the invention. Perhaps the most formidable threat Bell and his associates experienc- one of the first to introduce this new means of communication to the state of Georgia, it is likely that the Reis-Dolbear instruments were among the first to come our way. In the meantime, the years of con- certed and unswerving dedication on the part of Bell were crowned with one of the most notable breakthroughs in scientific history. He accomplished what others of his time had failed to achieve. On March 7, 1876, he received a valid certificate from the United States Patent Office that withstood repeated and per- sistent legal efforts to disqualify or override. With the help of financial backers, Americas first telephone company was organized in August, 1877, as the Bell Telephone Company. Later it was renamed National Bell Telephone Com- pany and then became American Bell Telephone Company. Early plant construction Aerial lineman (AT&T). ed came from the Western Union Telegraph Company which earlier reject- ed an opportunity to purchase the orig- inal Bell patents. Already criss-crossing most of the continent'with wires, in- cluding line switching devices and ex- tensions to large business establish- ments, Western Union undertook to fabricate its own transmitting and receiv- ing apparatus. Such facilities allowed Western Union in 1879 to open the first three major commercial exchanges of significant size in the state of Georgia, all of which would later become the property of the Bell system. The courts had ruled the Western Union telephone device to be an in- fringement on Bells patent. The suit ended in mutual commitment. Although oversimplified here. Bell and his asso- ciates acquired all of Western Unions voice communication facilities and agreed to refrain from further develop- ment in telegraphy and Western Union agreed to stay out of the telephone business. Agreeable settlement of the Western Union Telegraph versus Bell Telephone case gave the Bell patent owners and promoters a badly needed economic boost but other industry problems would continue to confront them. In 1882 the Bell interests acquired the stock in the Western Electric Manufac- turing Company and reorganized it primarily as a telephone and telegraph equipment company, and the renown- ed American Telephone and Telegraph Company was formed as the parent com- pany. The American Telephone and Telegraph Company would advance to become the worlds largest corporate entity. Independent America The Bell company had envisioned, in the interest of the public, one large com- pany providing efficient telephone ser- vice to the exclusion of all other com- panies. Bell continued a strong battle against intrusion on the patent rights which protected them. The small com- panies that erupted in Georgia and all over the United States were a serious threat to this monopoly concept. However, the lack of time and money caused the Bell company to avoid development in dubiously profitable areas; therefore, attention was focused on major cities of the United States. During that period, untelephoned rural areas needed communications for a more comfortable and safe existence and for relief from the monotony of life. Eagerness and the crusted habit of pro- viding for themselves led pioneers to begin to set up their own connections in the natural birthplace of independent telephonyrural America. In- dependents was the name given to these non-Bell companies. The Competition Intensifies No formulas, maps or charts were available by which this highly complex and intricate telephone machine and its application could be charted. This left the gate open for opportunist in the field. Briefly, the babe that was to become the worlds industrial giant had to spend its swaddling years fighting off infringers on the right with one hand while charting a course through unknown and unfnendly waters with the other. Impeded by these and other deterrents, the Bell system was unable to keep pace with mushrooming demands for the new convenience. Con- sequently, by the time the initial Bell patents began to expire in the early 1890s, competing telephone manufac- turing firms began to spring up across the continent. Within a few years thousands of telephone systems, financ- ed independently of the Bell system and using non-Bell manufactured apparatus, dotted the landscape. This is the pro- cess through which virtually all non-Bell telephone exchanges and systems in Georgia came into existence. A.T.& T. Company Plant ConstructionAerial Lineman. Numerous stories of emotional reac- tion came out of this era of intense com- petition. One such story relates that often a company erected a line of poles one day to find them on the ground the next morning, having been cut down by the rival company overnight. Another story implies that Bell companies dumped and burned on the town square non-Bell telephones which they had replaced. In the general course of expansion, the Bell organization began to try to penetrate the less-populated areas. Their 13 effort was simply a matter of purchas- ing the small companies and assuming the territory. A high tide of feeling against attempted monopoly of the in- dustry resulted in an organized resistance to the drift in that direction. Although the full scope and effect of competition was not felt in Georgia, one of the most disturbing contests involv- ed the Consolidated Telephone & Telegraph Company of Moultrie. The Moultrie Company had been operating unprofitably in several small towns and had gone into receivers sale of the pro- perties. James L. Kirk, an independent telephone company operator, of Ar- cadia, Florida, made the unsuccessful bid of $70,000 and another bidder, the Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company, bid $80,000; Kirk bid $85,000 and Southern Bell bid $86,000 which was accepted. Shortly afterwards. Mr. Kirk was checking out of his hotel to return home when he was approach- ed and asked if he would honor his final bid. The last bid by the Bell Company had been conditional and resulted in purchase by Mr. Kirk. The Kirk family disposed of their Florida holdings and moved to Georgia where they became one of the most prominent telephone families in the state at that time. At the time of Mr. Kirks death it was said that he had pioneered the largest family own- ed telephone company in the United States. The independents can be credited with expediting and developing telephone service in the United States by filling in the gap of areas that Bell could not have reached economically in the same time span. By 1900 there were 855,900 telephones in the Bell system, and there were over 700,000 telephones being operated by more than 5,000 in- dependent telephone companies. 14 The Bell companys vigorous cam- paign to telephone the United States caused a leap in the nations overall pro- gress. The rendezvous with competitive independents and independent manufacturing companies helped to ac- celerate those advancements. Holding Companies In 1894 a new trend in telephone company ownership advanced, engrav- ing fresh footprints in the independent industry. Holding companies was the name given to distinguish these major non-Bell telephone companies by the large telephone properties they amassed. As previously mentioned, the industry had divided itself into two segments: Bell companies and non-Bell companies (in- dependents). With the new type of ownership there then became a new language separating the non-Bell com- panies. In the vernacular of the industry there were now: AT&Ts Bell com- panies; large independent holding com- panies; and small, closely-held indepen- dent companies although all non-Bell companies were still independents. That is the language used in this writing since these were still in effect during most of the subject matter. Holding companies entered the arena with an aggressive program of acquisitions. Interconnect The bitter and costly contest which prevailed was said to have been further triggered by the Bell systems refusal to connect with equipment and apparatus not manufactured and supplied by it. In other words, an independent exchange using non-Bell equipment could not ob- tain long distance or other connection with a Bell owned or controlled exchange. Since Bell operations were largely Discussing telephone topics; (L-R) A. A. Fincher, H. M. Stewart. {Back L*R) W. C, Martin and J. E. Kirk. confined to big cities and the in- dependents to smaller, outlying com- munities, promoters were quick to seize the opportunity created by this impasse. Bell companies responded by setting up competing facilities in independent towns and offering service at lower rates, and the fight was on. Before the patent expired, Atlanta had dual telephone ser- vice of this type. Earl Kidd, director of operations for the Walker County Telephone Company Early switchboard at Lafayette exchange. Walker County Telephone Company. and an authentic telephone pioneer with a noble standing in the Peach State Chapter of the Independent Telephone Pioneer Association, commented on the then-controversial subject. AT&Ts non-interconnection policy towards independents re- mained steadfast throughout the early years of the twentieth cen- tury. At that time, such a position generally was legal and also seem- ed to be logical from a business viewpoint. Why should AT&T give away its biggest advantage over independentsaccess to long distance lines? The answer to the above question slowly emerged and gained the ascendancy in the consciousness of the American people: the con- cept of the telephone company as a public utility, with service in the public interest placed ahead of profits. AT&T, mindful of the tendency elsewhere in the world for govern- ment takeovers of telephone ser- vice, began to come around to the public service viewpoint. In 1904, yielding to increasing demands by independents for long distance phone access, various state legislatures began passing laws mandating interconnection with compensation to AT&T for leas- ing its long distance service to the independents. As early as September 3, 1904, Walker County Telephone Company signed a contract for Bell to connect long distamce to the local system. It eventually became evident that (L-R) E. P. Burney, owner Walker County Telephone Company, and Earl Kidd, Director of Operations. 15 maintaining dual telephone systems within the same community was very poor business. In spite of competing rates, it imposed unnecessary cost and inconvenience. Most business and many residential establishments had to main- tain service with both companies in order to obtain desired coverage. Both companies were losing potential toll revenue, and there were indications that Bell companies were being victimized by speculators who installed competing telephone systems, milked them for several years, and then sold them to the Bell company for their real value plus a sizeable nuisance gratuity. These and other considerations led AT&T to the Kingsbury Commitment and the agree- ment to connect with non-Bell manufac- tured equipment. This agreement was followed by broad scale consolidations, mergers, and sales until the last com- peting system, the Keystone Company of Philadelphia, was absorbed by Pennsylvania Bell in the mid-1940s. Commitment To Understanding Competition between the in- dependents and AT&T was eventually resolved by the Kingsbury Commitment. In 1913, AT&T Vice President Nathan Kingsbury sent a letter to the Attorney General committing to 1. dispose of its Western Union stock; 2. change its policy on acquisi- tions of independent telephone companies; 3. interconnect its Bell system long distance lines with the in- dependent companies under cer- tain conditions. (This interconnect treaty provided lucrative toll line settlements to some companies.) Still, some defiance of a monopolistic attitude continued as independents claimed there were violations of the commitment, the most important being accusations that the Bell company con- tinued to acquire independent proper- ties, selecting the cream of the crop. In order to preserve the trust, the Hall Memorandum, a letter recommitting to the policies set down by Kingsbury, was issued in 1922 by E. K. Hall, Vice Presi- dent of AT&T. These agreements are acknowledged as major factors in the prosperous evolution of the independent industry as with them the image of monopoly was laid to rest. (Authors Note: According to some reports, there were approved, valid ex- ceptions made to the rule on acquisi- tions; one being the Pine Mountain facilities in Harris County, Georgia. I was told that the prominent Callaway fami- ly, of the well-known Callaway resort area, believed that the telephone system there was inadequate because it con- sisted mostly of rurcJ lines. The Callaways bought the system but did not have the inclination or experience to operate it. In order to have efficient telephone service, they asked that an ex- ception be made so that the Bell com- pany could acquire the Pine Mountciin service area.) In more recent years Bells indepen- dent relations program has played a role in bridging the gap and building a band of unity and strength withinthe industry. Independents Contributions To The Industry The independent telephone industry is acknowledged as having made outstanding contributions and im- provements to the industry. Among the most noteworthy are: Automatic switching system First commercial application of dial system Handset type telephone First direct long distance operator dialing Second automatic ticketing system Full feature manual switchboard Heat coil type central office protection Plastic insulation Self-contained desk telephones Straightforward trunking between cen- tral offices Universal line and cord circuits Harmonic (ten party full selective) ringing Color Telephones Retractable cords Coin collect device for public telephones (paystations) Cordless telephone Spinner method of lashing aerial cable Leap In Progress It has been said that no man can pro- claim himself the inventor of the automobile, and it may also be true of the telephone. The telephone like the automobile has reached its present state of proficiency through the visionary im- provement of many contributors. Outstanding among the many others that have shaped and improved our in- dustry, following the patent, are inven- tors Almon Brown Strowger and Thomas A. Edison. The Strowger switch radically changed telephone switching. It was an electric switch that allowed controlled automatic connecting. The final essential element for the first satisfactorily-working telephones was something called a viable-contact carbon transmitter, due in large measure to Edison, in 1877. Any telephone pioneer will tell you that this carbon transmit- ter can be credited with making the telephone practical. Not least among telephony landmarks is the establishment of the Rural Elec- trification Administration (REA) loan 16 program. It has had a primary role in the movement of rural telephony in America. The entrance of many other great people into the field of telephony regret- fully cannot be included in these margins, but their roles have left us with a lofty heritage. In the yecirs that have elapsed since the birth of Alexander Graham Bells talking machine, telephone companies working hand-in-hand have laced the continent with cables, optic fibers, microwaves, and satellite circuits to build and develop a communications system for the nation. Telephone communica- tions have brought the people of the world and the industry closer together. In addition, telephony has provided an economic stimulus and a legion of employment almost without comparison. The national and state associations have contributed much to bring har- mony out of the discord that accom- panied the industry to its prosperity. The strength of the individuals in the state and national organizations came together to further the common interest of all. New pages of history began in 1984 when a divestiture ruling by Harold H. Greene, Judge, U. S. District Court, District of Columbia, separated the Bell companies from AT&T. It can be said that the healthy rivalry among the segments of telephony has left a record of respect that makes us all friendly competitors as we now face a restructured telecommunications industry. This section on Bell and the national telephone picture shall serve as an in- troduction to the following history of telephony in the state of Georgia. Part Two TELEPHONY IN GEORGIA Telephony In Georgia It is extraordinary that there were telephones in Georgia as early as 1877, considering the fact that the telephone patent was granted in 1876 and would not expire until circa 1894. Available information about these first voice circuits in our state tells us that in addition to the Bell company, Western Union and holding companies, there were several other types of opera- tions: small independent telephone com- panies operating with equipment leased from the Bell company, small indepen- dent companies operating with non-Bell company equipment, and limited en- trepreneurial alliances (sometimes con- fined to two or three telephones). The companies functioning with telephones leased from the Bell com- pany were a result of efforts by Bell to rapidly distribute their telephone ap- paratus across the nation. Lacking the proper financing or other means for ac- celerated expansion, they sought in- dividuals who would set up telephone management systems using Bell equip- ment under contract or lease terms. Such arrangements were considered ex- changes of the Bell company. Southern Bell, one of Georgias earliest telephone enterprises, originated in this manner. Today there are approximately 1,426 telephone companies operating in the United States, 39 of which provide telephone service for the state of Georgia. On the next page is a list of those Georgia companies. Most of the listed companies are members of the Georgia Telephone Association (GTA), an umbrella organization for the unity, advancement and refinement of the telephone industry in Georgia. These 39 companies repre- sent the wide diversity of ownership and management known to the industry. AT&T and Southern Bell, recently Georgia Telephone Pioneers Top row (L-R) Jim Evitt, Downing Musgrove, Manager General Telephone CompanyFitzgerald, Ga., Cam Lanier. Sr., H. M. Stewart. Sr.. Aubrey Sikes, Charlie Deloach, Mr. Linburger, Jim Callaham, H. W. Vaughn. Arthur A. Fincher, Ernie KirkFront row (L-R) Gene Britt, Madison New, Jimmie Gleaton, H. C. Hearn. separated by divestiture ruling, are the two largest providers of communications technology for the state. GTE, CON- TEL, ALLTEL, would be next on a list of Georgia telephone companies by size. These independent companies are grouped together because they repre- sent what is known in the industry, as holding companies. All other Georgia telephone companies, most of which are small when likened to those just men- tioned, would fall in the category of what we have described as independents. Telephone companies representing each of the forms of ownership appeared on the scene in Georgia very early in the telephone chronicles. Some of the independent telephone companies in Georgia today are still in the hands of the descendants of early telephone pathfinders. With the excep- tion of the named large companies and co-operatives (co-ops are membership owned independent companies very 20 much like rural electric associations), most other Georgia telephone com- panies are family-owned and operated. Family ownership, pioneer struggles and individual and collective ac- complishments have brought a great deal of well deserved pride to Georgia telephony. The history of the telephone industry in our state is a story of unproclaimed great men and women who pioneered a voice communication industry through periods of ice storm destruction, economic depression, and other adver- sities. Over the span of years the telephone industry has matured and un- folded into an enterprise poised for the uncertainty of the information age. Research material on the state of Georgia gives information on early railroads, agriculture, industry, and almost every aspect of pertinent infor- mation but leaves bare traces of early telephone development in our state. GEORGIA TELEPHONE COMPANIES ALLTEL Corporation Alma Telephone Company, Inc. AT&T Blue Ridge Telephone Company Brantley Telephone Company, Inc. Bulloch County Rural Tele. Coop., Inc. Camden Telephone & Telegraph Co., Inc. Chickamauga Telephone Corporation Citizens Telephone Company, Inc. Coastal Utilities, Inc. Continental Telephone Co. of the South (CONTEL) Darien Telephone Company, Inc. Ellijay Telephone Company Empire Telephone Company Fairmount Telephone Company, Inc. General Telephone Company of the Southeast (GTE) Georgia Telephone Corporation Glenwood Telephone Company Hart County Telephone Company Hawkinsville Telephone Company Interstate Telephone Company Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company Pembroke Telephone Company, Inc. Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Plant Telephone and Power Company Planters Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Progressive Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Public Service Telephone Company Quincy Telephone Co. (TDS) Ringgold Telephone Company Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company St. Joseph Telephone & Telegraph Company Standard Telephone Company Statesboro Telephone Company Trenton Telephone Company Walker County Telephone Company Waverly Hall Telephone Company, Inc. Wilkes Telephone & Electric Company Wilkinson County Telephone Company, Inc. Commerce, Georgia Alma, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Blue Ridge, Georgia Nahunta, Georgia Statesboro, Georgia St. Marys, Georgia Chickamauga, Georgia Leslie, Georgia Hinesville, Georgia Glennville, Georgia Darien, Georgia Ellijay, Georgia Comer, Georgia Fairmount, Georgia Moultrie, Georgia Blakely, Georgia Glenwood, Georgia Hartwell, Georgia Hawkinsville, Georgia West Point, Georgia Nelson, Georgia Pembroke, Georgia Metter, Georgia Tifton, Georgia Newington, Georgia Rentz, Georgia Reynolds, Georgia Quincy, Georgia Ringgold, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia Port St. Joe, Florida Cornelia, Georgia Statesboro, Georgia Trenton, Georgia Lafayette, Georgia Waverly Hall, Georgia Washington, Georgia Irwinton, Georgia 21 Judge Emrey speaking to a GTA meeting in Atlanta. Seated (L-R) Gene Britt, Joe StoneVice President Southern Bell, J, F. Callaham. It is publications from within the field of telephony that provide evidence of the pattern of progress that independents helped to weave across this land. Historical accounts of the Bell story have been written, and a few pioneers have given accounts of the unfolding of na- tional independent telephony. Only in recent years has there been a surge of interest in capturing these eventful stories. So far as we have been able to learn, only one book has ever been written on the subject of independent telephony in the state of Georgia. In 1958, E. B. Judge Emrey, formerly of Charlevoix, Michigan, wrote a book entitled In- dependent Telephony in Georgia. Judge Emrey began work with the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1911 and retired as their Georgia manager in 1947. His many To further set the time frame of the emergence of telephony in Georgia, the state had just ratified a new constitution; the University of Georgia had been engaged in higher learning for almost 100 years; Marthasville had developed at a point where railroads crossed, her name was changed to Atlanta and the capital was moved from Milledgeville; and the Atlanta Constitution, which call- ed Georgia the new South, had been in operation since 1868. General W. T. Shermans march through Atlanta some years earlier stHl burned in the minds and hearts of many, but progressive Georgians invited rebirth and growth to the Empire State of the South. The land of cotton was shifting into a new economy stimulated by pecan, grain, tobacco, sugar cane, and peach crops. There was great promise in reconstruction. years of observance of the independent telephone development in Georgia and his relationships with other Georgia pioneers qualified him to write a book that contained a great deal of informa- tion which otherwise would have escaped us. Emreys little blue book and every other source of information availableas well as a few good scrap- books of the mindgive a pretty good picture of Georgias early telephone advancement. Georgias telephone story is dramatiz- ed by the fact that the first telephones were introduced in a period of historical significance for Georgia. The state had emerged from a civil war in the 1860s to face a bitter reconstruction era. The war had taken its toll, but Georgia emerged stronger, if not better. War and defeat bred a people who keep on keeping on. (L-R) Mary Eunice Jones, Slim Poag (Kellogg Supply Company), Judge E. B. Emrey (Southern Bell Ga. Manager), H. M. Stewart, Sr. Pioneer Local User The first telephone company operat- ing as a business in Georgia of which we have found record was located in Atlanta. This came to our attention in Atlanta and Environs, a book written by Franklin M. Garrett (of the Atlanta Historical Society). According to Mr. Garrett, the Western & Atlantic Railroad was the pioneer local user of telephone service, when in November, 1877, its passenger agents office and the train dispatchers office in Union Station were connected by the new speaking device. Mr. Garrett recounted the first conver- sation as follows: It was about noon, and the telephone workman had just completed the installation. As he was leaving, Mr. Wrenn (the passenger agent), who was slightly timorous about the outcome, asked if it would work now. Oh, yes, was the answer. And can I talk over it? Of course. How do I work the thing? asked the railroad man. The installer turned the crank to ring and then said: Here he is. Mr. Wrenn picked up what then served as a receiver and put it to his ear. Whos there, he called. Kontz, Anton Kontz. Thats Wrenn, aint it? Yes, Im hungry. Send word to Henry Durand to get me a good dinner. By 1879 the city could boast a modest telephone exchange serving 35 subscribers. Located in one of the up- per rooms of the Kimball House, it was called the National Bell Telephone Com- pany. The name was changed in 1880 to the Atlanta Telephone Exchange, and Henry M. Jackson was superintendent at the time. HtMKf H. JACrSOH. kfff. CHA8. M. COY^H, Chtff ATLANTA SUBSCRIBinS QQNHBCrgP TO OCT. 2latV l861.' Atlanta Dallv Patt*Ap(i*ai. D. K. CaMwtU. Prop, t Appkr. Uara W., UMtaral Aa't Hataimab Uim S AMlanoii. E. A.. Om'1 Pr'l Ax't W. A A. B. B. i Atlanta Brovtnt CMpanit Uffttv Aitalr nrathrr*. t'vMBilfalaa blarrhanU.' 1 Atrkitllwal iHparlaMUt. CaL t. T. lIviKiarMti, . A., muck Vania, t llrowii, Joa. K., I'rmlikiit W. A A. B. R. 1 llrowii, Itnialur JutriA K., BMliirnrr. } llnrn. JuUw U, Allarnri' at Law (ufflcal. I tirvwn. Jullua L. Haalilntra. I itutnluii lltutArri. Wltakaalc Urorara. 1 lluaa. U. U., I'iMiailakar and Unrjr HlabW. 1 liulluck, n. n., KB'Uar.. Haahltnca. llii-k, tirvat A ta.. Marilwar* M'ti-liaiil*. I HariKW. W, K,, M'g't Wllllmalilk UiMt IV. itMhUtaw. 1 C rotlM Faelorj, t'rrtldml'l Uffick. t Cumailiiat. . K.. lUalOrUr*. I Ctuwalaai.i.F. A (a.,lrvl. A rotioii Kiclianac. 1 t'Urka. T. U. A Ca.. llardwara MarHiauii.. 1 nir t'krii'a Offira. I Cai. illU A Ttaoauiaun. WholoMla LlatWU. J. U., titucar A IVnluoa kiarritaiO. 1 O Dodd. P. A O. T., Wbalnala Ofoeara. 1 Dantal A klarab. Dranltu. I DafonpoH. Johnaan A IV. Balirtad MariUidtU, Catluu and Wuulan Mill HiippIIm. S K Blaai. Mar A (V. Homliom Hag PaHnrr- 9 BaacullTo Manriaa, A. U. Colquill. Ourrmar. 9 Kianilira UrptriMatil. railaa Kiimitlou, CIU, H. I, KlMlHiU. UlraatM'ttaiMriL I Rarnaai, Hr. Jvhn U. 1 , CtMlIab. J. W.. Marvr. 1 r Pyliea ration Rplwdiw Mllla-^aeali XIaaa. Prrat. I rairar, B. M., Local Pr't Ac'l A. A W. P. B. B. I Palror. 3- 3., Oraow. S O Ohalatin A Zacitarr. Arllacton MUIa. 1 Orant. Cal. L. P.. Bnp'l A. A W. P. B. L X Oata Cllr National Dank. 1 n MaU. L. II. A ra.. Caffin Parlary. t llarriaao, Jaa P. A CV. Pilnirra. 9 llaMlliMi A llwdaMi. Wbulaaala l'an Mareti'ta. 1 llniwlcwll A IMIlncralh. Woraa, Tinware, ala. 1 Hart, r. W.. HaAi. Daara and Ulinda. Off If*. 3 Hart. r. W. A Boo. Planlni Mill. S Hart. P. W.. Boaldanca. 1 UaUwaoit. A. L. A T. A.. Oroeara. 3 Z laMit. I. M. A Ca. t 3 Jaefcian. Ilanrr R.. Mr TaL Bi.. Braklauca. t Jack. C. W., Caadr and Crackat Parlurr. 1 Jack A Holland. Candr Manttfacturcra. 3 ianoa. L. C., Loral Adant W. and A. B. R. 1 JuImhuii. Blaa, Orucar. I Janat. W. O.. Llmr HlabW. 1 Jaknaoil A Wallk, Urarara and I'nxluct. 1 Jauaa. Paul. WboioaaW Lluuora. I 'K KHehalL C. 9m- Dopt t PublW Conlart. 1 Xtonball.- U. 1.. Boat dance. KlMkall. J. C.. Coal DaaWr. 1 XteklMitar. C. J.|Oroeaf. Uaal Markot aod 8awaa kUkHlaaury. I L '. Banklu A Uar, WboWaata and Balail Uar. : Urtiia. liOiHieiMi A Crane, Collan WaietwiMo. t l.aird. Wllllan. Urocer. 1 l.aiwali A Crane. Cetlan Mercbania. I Lowe. U. W.. Ururer. 1 Lriwh A l.ca. t'oiitractora. 3 LriH'li A l.ca, Quarrr. I l.alffrelr. A M.. tirarcr and IVmIhcO. 1 Lwwe. U. W,. lUUdaura. I * U kluunlraaiW A Co., W. K., Offlea II Ala. At. 1 klaiiii A JolHmm, tWiierat TMial Aaenia 1 klllrlM-ll. t. H.. Urocer. 9 klorrlMMi. Italn A IV. Hardware Mercbania. 1 klllfhell. I. H.. Rrd.lciwe. I klailibir. Iluakrr A Cu.. Cetl.m Merehanit. 1 klkfcflWtrr A Wkllbirk, Whl. IVn. klcrrhanla. 1 kluuiilcaalle A tV, W. K.. UHWra. Marietta HI. I U *l'.i||. lleaibiuarlcre. i i'b.w Kai-luir. I i'crkliu, H. P.. klai-hlnert IteaWt. I llUllia) A Mar. Hedetrad and tValr MTra. I R.-aeuetelM A Kuta. WlniWeaW MllUnerr. I ItraniMrlii A KutB. Rriali Mliilurrr. I HaiAln. J. W.. Meehlmre. 9 Me.td. J. P.. KaW and LJfaiT MabWa. I 8 Hrhnidt. Bobert. Agent CeeHral B. B. 9 HJaeane A UnMOMUd. WboleaaW Ca. Meea'Ia. Howieti. U. C.. Beeldenc*. 9 ttblehla. A. A.. Moat Market. 9 Hprer, D. N.. Treaawrrr ot Oeargla. 1 Hanttwen Riveeae CuWpanr. 1 HleeW. A. It.. IWoldeMe. I Hlewart A fclrKieeti. Meal Uarkal. I HMll. Haw t TWintae A iSi,, rntiiraHoNl II. V. MeTraHilA HuiieHlllHHlettl flWelrWlliM. I Thiwrll, B. W.. Oraeer. I Tomer. J. D. A IV. fVllak Tkhrell. B. W.. Beeldanra. tVMMrr. 9 TarWr, B K., Utwit Mabla. 1 r Van WUkW A Ca.. B.. Iran Warka. I Walton. Wbami A Ca.. Hloraaa and Manataeturera td lluaua. 1 WalkliM. Janee A Ca.. tVowlielan Maeehanla. I Walker. R. B.. OeaI Agl. Htaawablp ainl B. B. AHurlalWa. 1 Wrenn, U. W., Beetdwre. 9 Wrlr. A C. A n. P.. IVhoWaaW Ororera. 1 Wrenn. R. W.. General Paea. Ageal'a IHTIca. 9 WlWan. A. Mel). A rBOmip WRygatod la rtpart kWaleTalaffAanaa eetiHA>w aeBar.^ B.B.MUklMI. dAOH W. A#*4IIAM. W'For RHIraid TUMs.TteM Tiblu and Inlomntlon riladva to PassangH Tmil, apply to MANN A JOHNSON, tU. 4 KAwAbM May. JM. P. A ia. PiMm.AtlMt4.Ca. This directory page from the Atlanta Telephone Exchange (printed only five years after patent of the primitive instrument) is an indication of the rapid move to advancement of telephony. Mr. Garrett further relates that the Southern Bell Telephone Company offered to buy the Atlanta exchange from its somewhat disheartened owners. Negotia- tions were completed on September 24, 1881, and the first switchboard ex- change in Atlanta was opened. We are grateful to Mr. Garrett and the Atlanta Historical Society for preserving this interesting bit of information. 23 Western Union Companies Come To Georgia The first confirmed Western Union exchange of significant size in the state was built in 1879 in Augusta. Subscriber rates of $5 per month were advertised. There have been several unconfirm- ed reports that this exchange began operation with automatic switching equipmentpractically unheard of at that time. It is possible, but if so, such equipment would have been an unsuc- cessful attempt at something like the Strowger switch which was installed in Augusta a number of years later. The second major Western Union ex- change in this thirteenth original colony was at the scene of General James Ed- ward Oglethorpes settlement in Savan- nah. Reports vary as to whether it was 1879 or 1880 that this exchange began operation. It may come as a surprise to some that Atlanta followed shortly behind in 1881 and was the third large Western Union exchange in Georgia. Oglethorpes set- tlement had caused a thin strip of population growth on Georgias coast that resulted in Savannah becoming the largest city in the state by the year 1870. Atlantas location as a railroad center, its movement away from agriculture, and its strides toward progress caused its rapid prosperity and by 1900 it was Georgias largest city. It would later become the scene of much telephone advancement. PLEASE RING OFF WHEN THROUGH TALKING. iisrs'ii^TrcTJonjTS. TO OALL FOR A RUMBER.Ring Central by tnming crank and . pressing bntton; tnm crank three or fonr revolutions. Take off receiver and PUSH UP hook on vLich it hangs, tlen press down arm rest and presently you will hear Central say: What numbert Then give only number wanted; dont use any useless words, for they only tend to confuse. Wait just a minute and the party will answer yon. When through the party who called should ring off by pressing button and giving crank a sharp half tnm. TO ANSWER A GALL.When your bell rings answer PROMPTLY by re- moving receiver and pushing up hook; press down arm rest and say: Here, No.- In a thunder storm it is not advisable to use phono while heavy lightning is play- ing near, but distant lightning will not affect it Telephones are both delicate and costly, so please take ns good care os possible. Try and keep it clean. Dnst off frequently. RepoR all trouble promptly to Maatger of office. To secure good service observe the foregoing instructious. In order to prevent delay or misunderstanding, subscribers are requested, when- ever tlioy wish their instrument moved from one location to another, to give the manager,, at least five days notice in writing. For this service a reasonable charge, not to exceed the cost to the Company, will be made. Attention is called to the fact that the Company has completed connections :o a great many of the neighboring towns, all of which, and rates aro given in tliis directory. If your service is interrupted report it promptly to tho manager, No. 150. Amwer your bells PROMPTLY. If subscribers will answer their calls imme- diately, connections can be made to average within 14 seconds. When using your phone be sure and give yonr No. when commencing convcrs.aiion and require your correspondent to do tho same; this will prevent misunderstandings. The hand-phone when not in use must always hang on the hook provided for it. Operators are required to be polite under all circumstances. Please extend to them the same consideration. Much dissatisfaction arises from improper use of tho instmimiit. Stand close and speak directly into the transmitter, naturally, distinctly and not too rapidly. In ease yon fail to hear properly, insist on party at oUior end of lino talking in like manner. Do not allow non-subscribers to use your ]>hone. It is an imposition ui>on ns, an injustice to you and is a violation of yonr contract.. Respectfully, VALDOSTA TELEPHONE &. ELECTRIC CO. Courtesy instructions from an early directory, (1879) 24 Advancement of the Southern Bell Company In Georgia The Bell company having developed in the northeast and then in major cities over the United States established itself in the state of Georgia when the Augusta, Savannah and Atlanta ex- changes and other holdings of the Western Union Telegraph Company were absorbed in the agreement be- tween Bell and Western Union and with the purchase of the Atlanta and other exchanges. The small Bell exchanges that existed prior to that time were in- dividual, lease management systems as previously described. In 1884, Southern Bells premier long distance lines were installed between Memphis and Nashville. Shortly after- wards, in 1889, Atlanta and Fairbum, Georgia, and points in Florida were con- nected by long distance aerial wire. The first Bell ventures into Georgia did not prove to be financially lucrative, not necessarily due to the Southern economy but because of the ill fortune of three successive fires that destroyed the developing Bell facilities in Altanta, followed by the nationwide financial panic of 1893. In order to keep its head above water, under astute management. Bell suspend- ed dividends, borrowed money, and issued notes instead of cash for supplies and equipment. Indications were that with the pen- dulous swing to prosperity, the Bell com- pany operations in Georgia framed a policy of growth and acquisition that would kindle a spark of discord with the independents. Southern Bell would bring to Georgia the superior Bell labs technology and outstanding corporate citizenship. The Independents An outgrowth throughout Georgia of small independent companies following the expiration of the telephone patent fueled developing rivalry. The ring of in- dependent telephones could be heard all over this state of geographical con- trast, from the red clay hills where the pines and the live oaks rise to the fall line and the sandy coast. With sparce, bold beginnings, the simple agrarian life in rural Georgia took a progressive leap forward. Early independent telephone service was established in Macon on June 1, 1879, with 10 stations. Captain W. W. Games, an enterpris- ing insurance broker, saw Bells tele- phone at the Philadelphia Centennial in 1876 and later bought the equipment by mail to set up his 10-station system. Captain Carnes also had the first typewriter and first mnning water and set up the first public safety deposit vault in Macon. As far as can be ascertained. Captain Games telephone was like a big party line, even though it had two operators. Roland B. H^l had a working telephone or telephones in his Macon dmgstore at 17 Cotton Avenue as a curiosity as early as February 23,1878. On June 21, 1880 Southern Bell opened an exchange in Macon with 34 stations. In November, 1880, Southern Bell paid Captain Carnes $677.32 for lines and instruments turned over to the Company. The first Southern Bell ex- change was under management of the local Western Union office. The first long distance call was made to Augusta on June 29,1880, probably over telegraph wire. The American Speaking Telephone Company had a representative in Macon in 1878 but no evidence remains that there was provision of any services. Long distance lines were built to Atlanta in 1894 and to Americus in 1897. The change to common battery came in 1899 to Macon. On May 12, 1951, the company was cut to dial in a four-story building with 30,000 stations; this was considered the largest cutover operation in Southern Bell history. Presidents, Managers, District Managers Macon, Georgia Title From To Manager (Western Union) 1880 1882 Manager (Western Union) 1882 1885 Manager (Sou. Bell only) 1885 1890 Superintendent 1889 1890 Manager 1891 1892 Manager 1892 1896 District Manager 1896 1931 District Manager 1931 2/1/38 District Manager 2/1/38 8/1/44 District Manager 8/1/44 6/1/50 District Manager 6/1/50 6/1/57 Other early personnel included: OperatorsRichard Orme, Charles H. Garfield, Robert Bindley, Sallie Van Houten, Lula Lewis and Sophie Herzog. Plant foreman (1896)John Pax Hoffar. 25 Name Joseph L. Laney G. E. Davis D. H. Mullenix John D. Easterlin I. 0. Utsey A. W. Prior W. H. M. Weaver Cecil Kervin G. L. Kinsman A. L. Boyer W. B. Bryan M. C. York, Founder of Standard Telephone Company (1904). M. C. Yorks former telephone office as it appears today. Stories about the introduction of in- dependent telephony in Georgia are consistent with the tale surrounding Mr. York who founded Standard Telephone Company, Cornelia, near the turn of the century and would probably be typical of the infancy of independent telephony. Marler C. York operated a mercantile store in Clarkesville. He installed a telephone in his home and store, con- necting them by wires on insulators. This rig provided instant voice com- munication between his home and business. As Mr. Yorks neighbors began to see the usefulness of this innovation, they obtained Mr. Yorks permission to attach to his line. Reportedly, his friends and neighbors sold him on the idea that they would call his store for orders which he would deliver on his way home. As interest in the telephone and its con- venience spread, Mr. York and a group of businessmen organized the Standard Telephone Company which was granted a corporate charter in 1904. By changing the names and dates, one would have a fairly accurate accounting of the way many independent telephone pioneers brought their compamies into being throughout the rural areas of the country. There is reason to believe that the Gainesboro Telephone Company was one of the first independent telephone companies in Georgia. It was made up of a number of exchanges, and although unconfirmed, is said to have existed before the original telephone patent ex- pired. Headquarters for the company was located in Carrollton, and it may have included exchanges in Newman, Franklin, Douglasville, Temple, Villa Rica, LaCrange and eight or ten other mill towns south of Rome. The Gainesboro company went out of business in the 1930s. Thomasville was one of the earliest Georgia communities to have indepen- dent telephone service, which leads us to believe because of the environment of the industry at the time, that Thomasville was operational under a licensee contract with Southern Bell. It is known that a company existed there as early as 1883, years before the pa- tent expired. In 1886, it was closed for lack of interest and was reopened in 1895 with 56 telephones. There is an interesting story that sur- rounds this company. It is said that Thomasville was a produce center for a large part of Georgia and Florida, as well as an industrial area. In the period from 1915-1920 more toll revenue was generated from Thomasville than from Jacksonville, Florida, and Thomasville had several times the number of stations. This company was purchased by Southern Bell in 1896. 26 Old Southern Bell records indicate that telephones were already in opera- tion in Gainesville in 1893. Milledgeville, Albany, and Valdosta were also among the cities where the telephone made ear- ly appearances. Their exact eourse can- not be charted until later years. The LaGrange telephone exchange emerged in 1894. It was built by the Milam family. J. J. Milams father first headed the company, and around 1900 he took over management of the family business. The first years gross collections averaged $60 per month, but the rent for office space was only $1.50 and the light bill was $1 per month. This family retained ownership until 1910 when a large company assumed ownership, and Mr. Milam continued to operate it until his retirement. Quincy Telephone Gompany had its beginnings in 1898 when the economics and convenience of communications between two businesses on either side of the courthouse square were realized by purchasing telephone equipment and installing it in their respective offices. Their families immediately recognized the value of the communications device and were shortly followed by others who wanted to join the party. Few of the pioneer independent telephone stories rival those of the late J. Smith Lanier for interest and ingenui- ty. I was told by a number of people that Mr. Lanier was one of the most fascinating and colorful telephone pioneers they had ever met. The stories about Mr. Lanier tell us that in the late 1800s Georgia began a series of expositions which were large gala events intended to dazzle visitors with the vast wealth of the states com- modities and resources and the innova- tions of the time. The expositions were very popular and apparently did stimulate a great deal of activity. As an example, the Elberta peach was developed by Samuel Rumph, Sr. for the 1895 Cotton States Exposition in Macon. J. Smith Lanier of West Point, 18 years old at the time, attended the fair. He saw there for the first time three telephones connected to a small magneto type switchboard. His infatua- tion with the instruments resulted in a long, interesting, and successful career in the field of independent telephony and in the founding of the Interstate Telephone Company. Members of the Lanier family con- tinue to own and operate that company and are well-known figures in the state and national scene of telephony. W. C. Birchmore, who owned and operated a country store near the small northeast Georgia community of Max- eys, resourcefully and ably demonstrated an extraordinary sense of the need for telephone connections, when he made a circuit for simple voice transmission between his home and his store. He ex- tended a single line taut, waxed cord be- tween his home and his business with an empty coffee can on each end. The arrangement was crude by todays stan- dards but was enviable in its time. This, too, is typical of the period when the first two telephones would be connected by lines strung between a mercantile store or some other business and the owners home. Impatiently waiting, friends and neighbors would ask to be connected and from this primitive connection would later evolve the local independent telephone company. Although it was not the earliest, the Byron Telephone Company, interesting- ly listed as operated by Robert Hardison and neighbors, seems to be an exam- ple of this kind of situation. The first telephone installation in Doles was a magneto telephone con- necting Ben and Lula Gleatons home to the farm home of Lulas parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Champion, in the mid-1890s. A second line was strung to the commissary which Ben operated in Doles. Neighboring farmers became in- terested in the convenience of tele- phones, and additional lines were Celebration of 1,000.000th telephone in Georgia, Atlanta Biltmore(L-R) Cam Lanier, Sr.. Cam Lanier, Jr., Charlie Joe Mathews and J. Smith Lanier. 27 Above: J. Smith Lanier, founder. Interstate Telephone Company. Right: Public Service Telephone Company lines. Doing the best we could with what we had." Far Right: This 1920s building is typical of the meager beginnings for rural Georgia telephony. strung to the Marcus Champion farm, brother of Charlie, and to the Jeeter farm. This led to the need to purchase a switchboard. With encouragement from neighbors and family, Ben purchased a Western Electric switchboard and installed it in the commissary for daytime service. Plant Telephone & Power Company is the corporation which grew out of that installation. Nearly 100 years old, this company is owned and operated by the widow of the late Jimmy Gleaton whose father pioneered the company. Moultrie telephone exchange began operation in 1898 with 40 subscribers. It was acquired by Southern Bell in 1924. Cairo Telephone Company was purchased by J. W. Southhall in 1904. Some of these companies just named are still operating under the same name and family ownership. With telephone connections such as these, the arms of telephone service, though primitive, had embraced most of rural Georgia by 1899. While it is generally believed that not every town had service this early, large companies served the cities, and all of the rural service at the time was provided by independents. 28 First Holding Companies In Georgia Holding companies first appeared on the Georgia scene around 1896. Southern Telephone and Telegraph CompanyAn early listing of com- panies operating as a telephone business in Georgia indicates that the Southern Telephone Company (formerly the Long Distance Telephone and Telegraph Company) was a major holder of Georgia companies. It was probably the first holding company operation in the state. J. A. Dusham, Jr. served as president of the company. Advertising material has been found imploring customers to use the Southern Telephone and Telegraph Company because their prices were lower than the Bell Company. Among the assets reported in 1899 were the ex- changes in Valdosta, Waycross, Quitman and Tifton. There were eventually 50 other toll points in close proximity under this holding company. In response to an inquiry for this history, J. F. (Jim) Callahaim, Sr., respected and admired Southern Bell Georgia Independent Company relations man for many years, brought to me a copy of the Southern Telephone and Telegraph Companys Valdosta ex- change telephone directory dated 1897. He also provided a directory put out by a rival Valdosta Telephone exchange dated 1896. This exchange was a part of the Valdosta Telephone & Electric Company. Portions of Mr. Callahams none-too-clear, worn and tattered copies of these directories are considered well- worth the space and the ink to become a part of this presentation. Right: 1897 Tariff Sheet from Southern Telephone and Telegraph directory em ^efeplrone: eiRel IN EFFECT JUnE 1 jt., 1 S^7M And place you want'.look for puinber in - j-er lollow'yctur niiDiber, in parellel coiuran, '.o'where thev intersec/.' .6 [: 7;; j. . .-V 'i i " \ - j : 1 ! 25 35 i 45 ! 55'j 55 j*55 : 65 2 35 25 I 35 j 45 \ io 46 J SST oo *45,. oo 4' 35 45 I 35 -5 : 35 i .35 ; 45 . i ' i ^ : 5' 35i 4*5 ! .35 *5 25 ; 3.5 4o I i I... ; i- 6! 35 : 45 j 35 I 35 i 35 ; 25 ' S5., ' i . : !i I -'h ' 7. 65 . .55 : 45 i 45 . 45 i:.35 . 25 . : : - i : 3 75 ! 65 ' 55 j 55 55 r45 Jasper to City .'joint line, 10c.,' in addition to a id from Jasper. Sparks i Nashville joint line ] Oc, addition 29 \ mMwm, ............ f| ^c,c- rioppEu, r ?; \ - \;^ un* cUi;"W-v,ViT.r.:Ri.u. i^SS^-KfcWrrS &iUTOew;; .. v -Vlft '~::aI'' a i :t - .Vf >,T ..* QS-1 Ayr-^,:-^X . - \ \ ^'5* iluUni I i- ;* :l^'IfitbUi\ .;17. IUtik*it,\ i. Houtl S* rnOS. FORt>&,C;?- V4HOEES^V.E^NO Buges.^^^agpns^^gg|^ Wa\rus Leather, GVnBrtures, V .v M -y. | :t. ; :. -'; 'OWx'lte ^sPx'l-OOB svis^^* \ ;i - Vi * ' " . ' ' ,* ^' *.wrtiiU v - -2b Mcoa.n WT.mW.Dci..- :. ST M.T.rvL-,oii. Fi.b M.rk.l ; ' <0. Marrow. John. U oilic.' ' 41. Morniw, John. r..W.nc ; Also appearing in Mr. Callaham's Directory was this enumeration (right) from Southern Telephone and Telegraph Company. Towns Connected By Telephones 1896 YOU CAN USE THE TELEPHONE TO ANY POINT See rates on tariff sheet Naylor, Georgia Stockton, Georgia Dupont, Georgia Humphreys, Georgia Homerville, Georgia Argyle, Georgia Manor, Georgia Glenmore, Georgia Way cross, Georgia Thomasville, Georgia Boston Pidcock/Grooverville Dixie/Pavo Aytryville, Georgia Moultrie, Georgia Hahira, Georgia Cecil, Georgia Heartpine, Georgia Adel, Georgia Sparks, Georgia Lenox, Georgia Staunton, Georgia Ga. Southern Lumber Company Fenders, Georgia Tifton, Georgia Ousley, Georgia Wades Park, Georgia Quitman, Georgia Nashville, Georgia Dasher, Georgia Lake Park, Georgia Melrose, Georgia Jennings, Florida Averiettville, Florida Jasper, Georgia Genoa, Georgia Winn, Georgia White Springs, Georgia Suwanee Valley, Georgia Lake City, Georgia Winnfield, Georgia 30 Southeastern Telephone Company According to Judge Emrey, the first holding company backed by out-of-state capital came to Georgia in 1926 when northern ventures invested in the Southeastern Telephone Company (in- corporated under the laws of Delaware in 1928). The parent company, which owned 100 percent of the stock, was the Empire Telephone Company of Savan- nah, Illinois. The operating company headquarters was located in Tallahassee, Florida, and Georgia property head- quarters was in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Mel Locke, a native of Maine, was the first Georgia manager of this holding company. A. L. Seward came to Georgia in 1929 with many years of telephone experience in Minnesota to become the next Georgia manager. He also manag- ed the Central Telephone Company of Georgia, another holding company own- ed 100 percent by American Utilities Corporation whose address was exactly the same as the Empire Telephone Company mentioned above. A. L. Seward was a prominent Georgia telephone leader of that period and was director and vice president of the fragments of the independent associa- tion in Georgia at that time. D. W. T. Patton succeeded him as manager. As Seward moved up the ladder of success, W. C. Slim Martin followed Patten in his managerial position in Georgia and he, too, became active in the business of the association, serving as its president in 1948. Nelson Mahone was the next manager and he also served his company well, supporting the Georgia Telephone Association. During the late 1930s Southeastern, suffering from under-capitalization, rigors of the depression, and the 1933 rate cut sold, gave away, or closed more than half of the 23 exchanges it owned in Georgia. In a swap-out with the Con- I tinental Company in the mid-1950s it exchanged the remaining offices it own- ed in Georgia for a group of exchanges in Minnesota. This last group included such places as Fitzgerald, Unadilla, Perry, and Montezuma. Georgia Continental Telephone CompanyContinental Telephone Company, (not to be confused with the present CONTEL system) a subsidiary of the Theodore Gary syndicate, was the next out-of-state capital of this kind. The Continental Company began acquiring small Georgia companies about 1924. Among its first acquisitions was a system serving several communities near Dawson, Georgia. Other acquisitions in- clude Monroe, Winder, Toccoa, Lavonia, Washington, and Lincolnton. The Washington and Lincolnton ex- changes were purchased by the Wilkes Telephone Company of Tignall in the early 1950s. Earl C. Blomeyer, R. S. Griffin, and J. H. Wright consecutively headed this Georgia holding company operation and played active roles in GTA. Continental continued to own and operate the remaining Georgia ex- changes until the entire Gary holdings were merged into General Telephone and Electric Company in the late 1950s. Remember the fact that the funda- mental transmitter patent was issued in 1876 and expired around 1896. By the late 1900s this voice machine was com- mon in America and in some other countries. It should therefore come as no surprise that around the turn of the century, when the Bell company or a holding company had exchanges in practically every large city, the smaller independent companies were penetrat- ing rural Georgia. 31 Fanners Lines The major exception to telephone availability resulted in what came to be know as farmers lines. It was financial- ly impractical for a telephone company to provide poles and lines in remote farm areas. Farmers were encouraged to build their own lines that were then connected to the company for a small charge. I have been told that a customer charge of 50 cents a month was levied for these lines which might have had as many as 20 or more telephones on them or as few as ten or less. In some cases, however, the telephone company forfeited the charge in lieu of the farmers maintenance. The plan was for the farmer, after his crops were in, to give his time to maintenance of telephone poles and lines. Lack of ex- perience and knowledge about how and why the telephone worked, including the consequences of no maintenance and the spoils of time, resulted in rapid deterioration of these lines. However, never having had very good voice transmission, the farmer was satisfied so long as the bell would ring and the voice could be heard. Even that came to an eventual halt. Telephone service for the farm families and the small towns was in great de- mand due somewhat to the fact that they once enjoyed the convenience. Farmers lines began to disappear in Georgia around 1920 and by the late 1930s on- ly a few of the best constructed and maintained of these remained. For many years the remnants of posts and poles with wire nailed to them could be seen leaning, rotting, behind out-huildings and bams, evidence of inexperience and of improper knowledge about telephone lines. Cost of extending service to farmers remained an insurmountable problem for the small telephone company until after the recovery from the ravages of World War II and until the Rural Elec- trification Administration (REA) extend- ed its loan program to include telephone companies. It should not be inferred that every home and business in Georgia had a telephone by the turn of the century because many of us who are not old timers can remember when the first telephones were placed in our homes, but at that time, the telephone was not the necessity that it is today. If the house next door and down the road had a telephone, it was the accepted practice to knock on that door, day or night, and be welcomed in to call the doctor or make any type of emergency or crisis call. Simply stated, it was the neighbor- ly thing to do. For the most part, this and the monthly service charge discouraged the telephone-in-every- home concept until much later. Right; Ellijay Telephone Company (Albert Harrison, President) This pole was for some time tied to a tree on Courthouse lot on the public square of Ellijay. When the County trimmed the tree, one of the limbs fell on the guy-wire. The pole did not fall but just sat down some 14 inches. Note the rotted chunks on the ground. As seen in the picture repairs consisted of a stub post and two bolts. Far Right: Ellijay Telephone Company This pole was used near the one shown on adjacent photo. Note the old, split shell-of-a-pole was strapped with heavy wire. 32 THE YELLOW PAGES A Directory of some of the earliest known telephone operations in Georgia. In these pages we assume the difficult task of attempting to identify some of the first appearances of individual telephone companies in the state, with the bits and pieces of available information. Only that which can be fairly well documented is included. Existing Georgia Telephone companies also appear in the listing. Year 1877 1879 1879 1879-80 1880 1881 1883 1889 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1899 1900 Exchange or Company Atlanta, Georgia Macon, Georgia Augusta Exchange Savannah Exchange Atlanta Exchange Carrollton Telephone Company Atlanta Exchange Thomasville Telephone Company Empire Telephone Company Thomasville Telephone Company Albany Telephone & Electric Company Gainesville Telephone Company Milledgeville Telephone Company Valdosta Telephone and Electric Company Telephone Connections in Comer Telephone Connections near Satilla River in Camden County Lagrange Telephone Company Empire Telephone Company Telephone Connections in Doles Origin Plant Telephone & Power Company, Inc. Harmony Grove Telephone Company Jefferson Telephone & Telegraph Company Ft. Valley Telephone Company Bell Companys first purchase of a Georgia independent company Interstate Telephone Company Long Distance Telephone Company Consolidated Telephone CompanyMoultrie Exchange Quitman Telephone Exchange Thomasville Telephone Company Tifton Telephone Exchange Valdosta Telephone & Electric Waycross Telephone Exchange Blakely Telephone Company organized Toccoa Exchange Madison & Monticello Exchanges Quincy Telephone Company Moultrie Telephone Company Comer-Danielsville Telephone Company chartered Monroe Exchange Empire Telephone Company Chartered Georgia Telephone & Telegraph Company, Savannah, Tybee Southern Telephone & Telegraph Company Moultrie Telephone Company Central Telephone & Telegraph Central Georgia Telephone Company Commercial Telephone Company Montezuma Telephone Company Sylvester Telephone & Telegraph Company Union Telephone and Electric Light Company, Bell Telephone Company Captain W. W. Carnes Western Union Telegraph Company Western Union Telegraph Company Western Union Telegraph Company Southern Bell Purchased by Southeastern Telephone Company Purchased by Southern Bell N. A. Williams (dentist) W. C. Birchmore Milam Family Owned Southeastern Telephone Company, Mid-Continent, Alltel Ben and Lula Gleaton W. E., L. G. and T. C. Hardman, W. T. Thurmond H. W. Bell, F. L. Pendergrass, E. C. Armisted, J. N. Holder, J. E. Randolph, J. B. Pendergrass, J. C. Turner J. Smith Lanier Later incorporated as Southeastern Telephone Company 73 subscribers; George W. Averett, Mgr. Purchased by Southern Bell J. L. Phillips, owner; Briggs Carlson, Manager; 14 subscribers N. A. Williams, President; C. L. Goodwin, Manager; D. E. Temple, Asst. Manager; 154 subscribers Miss Salie Murphy, Mgr.; 84 subscribers Arthur G. & Wade H. Powell Tige Shaffer Mitchell Nebraska Drew A. T. Hearin, R. K. Shaw; Quincy, Florida 40 telephones W. H. Nunnally First Holding Company, J. A. Dashan, Jr., Pres. Macon (may have been there 10 years earlier) Stockbridge Oglethorpe, Reynolds, Verma, Montezuma Stockbridge 34 1901 Bainbridge Telephone Company Statesboro Exchange Chartered Gainesville Telephone Company Gainesboro Telephone Company Independent Telephone Company McClatchey Telephone Company 1902 Waycross Telephone Company Douglas Telephone Company Stewart Telephone Company 1902 Southern Telephone & Telegraph Company Simpsonville Vienna Telephone Company organized 1903 Atlanta Telephone & Telegraph Company, Inc. Columbus Auto Telephone Company Milledgeville Telephone Company Dalton Telephone Company Ellijay Telephone Exchange established Screven Telephone Company Hart County Telephone Company Walker County Telephone Company organized Valdosta Telephone & Electric Company 1904 Ellijay Telephone Company incorporated Cairo Telephone Company North Georgia Telephone Company Standard Telephone Company Ringgold, Lyerly, Menlo, Georgia (Chatooga Cty.) via Walker County Telephone Company 1905 Pelham Telephone Company Pembroke Telephone & Water Works Satilla Telephone Company incorporated Summerville Telephone Company 1906 Colquitt Telephone Company Sylvester Telephone and Telegraph Company 1907 Byron Telephone Company Georgia & Atlantic Telephone Company 1908 Fairmount Telephone Company, Fairmount Monticello Telephone Company Southeast Independent Telephone Company 1909 Tifton Telephone Company Milledgeville Telephone Exchange purchased 1910 Lagrange Company Hiawassee Exchange Hinesville Telephone Company Leslie-Desoto Telephone Company formed Petitioners: J. L. Mathews, James A. Brannen, Bryan, Effingham, Tattnail, Screven, Montgomery Counties; John W. Olliff, William S. Preetorius Register, Parrish, Puloski, Clito, Dover, Stilson, Brooklet, Woodbum, Blitchton, Sylvania, Guyton, Metter Louisville Marietta, Atlanta Purchased by Southern Bell Willacoach, Otilla, Fitzgerald, Broxton, Tifton, Nashville Covington, Starrsville, Legion, Stewart, Hyde Point Purchased Waycross Telephone Company from Southern Bell Company C. R. Sikes William Turton family Decatur, East Point, Chattanooga, TN Columbus, GA; Phoenix & Ginard, AL Dalton W. G. Owenby, John H. Carter Sylvania Telephone Connections at St. Marys F. P. Linder Petitioners: G. B. Tatum, J. L. Rowland, E. W. Sturchvant; LaFayette Purchased by Southern Bell Acquired by J. W. Southall Winder Clarkesville; M. C. York, manager Pelham, Albany, Cairo, Meigs, Camilla Pembroke; U. S. Williams, founder Satilla; Dr. A. K. Swift, president Summerville Public Service Telephone Company Colquitt, Blakely, Columbus Sylvester H. F. Crawford, owner; Robert Hardison & neighbors, managers; Byron Dawson, Parrott, Sasser, Weston Organized by P. H. Green Shadydale, Kelly, Farrar, Monticello, Mansfield, Machen Purchased by Southern Telephone & Telegraph Company by W. A. Jennings and J. T. King, Sr. Purchased by Southern Bell Southern Bell Telephone & Telephone Company J. L. Amason 35 1911 South Georgia Telephone Company Homerville Telephone Company 1912 Ringgold Telephone Company began operation Thomaston Telephone & Telegraph Company Reynolds Telephone Company 1913 Hawkinsville exchange 1914 Chickamauga Telephone Company 1915 Gray Telephone Company established 1916 Chickamauga Telephone Corporation 1919 Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company Sylvania Telephone Company 1920 Darien Telephone Company Fairmount Telephone Company Plains Telephone Company established 1920s Sylvania 1923 Reynolds Telephone Company 1924 St. Joseph Telephone & Telegraph Company 1925 Moultrie Telephone Company 1926 Thomaston T. & Telephone Company 1927-28 Reidsville exchange Southeastern Telephone Company (a Delaware Corporation) 1930 Blue Ridge Telephone Company 1936 Alma Telephone Company 1937 Adrian Telephone Company Folkston Telephone Company Doles Telephone Company 1939 Danville Telephone Company Jeffersonville Telephone Company Standard Telephone Company 1940 Glenwood Telephone Company Alma Nichols exchanges Reidsville exchange Pembroke Telephone and Water Works 1943 Glenwood Telephone Company Haddock Telephone Company 1944 Waverly Hall Telephone Company 1945 Brantley Telephone Company Dahlonega Telephone Company Cleveland exchange B. Parker purchased from C. R. Sikes; Ludowici Sold by Hargrove 8 neighbors; Founder, James E. Evitt, Sr. Fincher Brothers H. C. Bond (origin of Public Service Telephone Company) Purchased by W. A. Jennings, J. T. King, Sr. and Judge John T. Allen from Mr. Blasengame Chickamauga, High Point; A. E. Yates T. Rad Turner, C. S. Bryant A. E. Yates Nelson, Ball Ground, Talmo; Mrs. Luther Thomason sold to M/M J. H. Cook Adis Millis Joseph Christopher Jackson bought from Mr. Cobb Purchased by H. D. Lacey Norman Murray family Roberta & Lizella Chattahoochee exchange Purchased by S. Bell Sold to J. L. Kirk Southern Telephone Company exchange Purchased by J. C. Doc Thomas from TVA Purchased by Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Bennett from W. E. Quarttlebaum Purchased by W. T. Blankenship from Mrs. H. S. Sowden B. Parker purchased from his brother, L. Parker Sold by A. P. Dyles to H. P. Gleaton Purchased from W. G. Spears by 0. B. Lineberger Purchased from M. C. York by H. M. Stewart Purchased by W. H. and Odessa Jones Purchased from Southeastern Telephone Company by J. G. Bennett B. Parker purchased from Southeastern Telephone Company Purchased by C. R. Sikes and renamed Sikes Telephone Company W. H. and Odessa Jones sold to Leon B. and Eloise Cox Adams Purchased by R. L. Lineberger Julian T. Jones purchased from J. F. Adams, L. W. Slaughter, Gus W. Owens, J. B. Thompson Purchased by Avery and Lena Strickland (52 subscribers) Purchased by H. M. Stewart Purchased by H. M. Stewart from Ellis C. Turner 36 1946 Sikes Telephone Company (formerly Pembroke Telephone and Water Works) Omega Telephone Company Leslie-Desoto Telephone Company Sylvania exchange 1949 Wilkinson County Telephone Company South Georgia Telephone Company Blairsville exchange activated 1950 Planters Rural Telephone Cooperative Inc. Trenton Telephone Company Pearson and Willacoochee Telephone Company 1951 Bulloch Telephone Cooperative, Inc. organized Plant Telephone and Power Company Effingham Telephone Company Plains Telephone Company Pineland Telephone Company 1952 Helen Telephone Company Demorest exchange activated Dawsonville exchange activated 1953 Progressive Rural Telephone Cooperative Rentz and Cadwell exchanges Chester exchange Young Harris exchange Dexter exchange Dudley exchange Coastal Utilities, Inc. was incorporated 1954 Blakely Telephone Company Washington Telephone Company Lincolnton Telephone Company Wilkes Telephone and Electric Company Pinehurst exchange Public Service Telephone Company 1955 Camden Telephone & Telegraph Company General Telephone System 1957 Citizens Telephone Company incorporated Southeastern Telephone Company Milledgeville Telephone and Telegraph Company 1958 Georgia Telephone Corporation (formerly Blakely) Georgia Telephone Corp. formed Whigham Telephone Company Ochlochnee Telephone Company 37 Purchased by Paul and Ivey Beardslee and renamed Pembroke Telephone Company Acquired by J. P. Gleaton and renamed Plant Telephone Company Purchased by Tommy C. Smith Purchased from F. M. Houser by R. J. Parker and son Independent operation (begun by Brooks family) taken over by George H. Carswell, Wilber Council and Ralph Culpepper Incorporated H. M. Stewart Incorporated Purchased by W. R. Tatum Purchased by J. P. Gleaton, renamed Plant Telephone Company Incorporated and included Warwick Power and Telephone Company, Plant Telephone Company and Pearson and Willacoochee Telephone Company Purchased by Planters Rural Purchased by Tommy C. Smith Organized in Emanuel and Chamber counties Helen S. Stewart (29 stations) H. M. Stewart H. M. Stewart Organized and incorporated Progressive Rural granted option to buy from L. . Maddox J. D. Jackson granted option to buy Activated by H. M. Stewart Purchased by Progressive Rural from Cy Dozier Purchased by Progressive Rural from Mr. Dominy Purchased by Charles DeLoach Acquired by Oliver S. Dyson, Sr. Acquired by Oliver S. Dyson, Sr. Formed by merging Washington and Lincolnton Telephone companies H. P. Gleaton purchased from P. T. Streetman Formed from merger of Reynolds, Roberta, Lizella, Butler, and Culloden Telephone Companies Incorporated Acquired telephone and manufacturing properties of Theodore Gary and Company and called them Georgia Continental Telephone Company This Fitzgerald Company acquired by Georgia Continental Telephone Company Acquired by General (Formerly Blakely Telephone Company) Purchased by W. Charles DeLoach and merged with Georgia Telephone Corp. 1962 Suches exchange 1963 Batesville, Tallulah Falls exchanges 1964 Dixie Telephone Company 1966 Glenville Telephone Company 1968 Commerce Telephone Company 1977 Big Canoe 1978 Mid-Georgia Telephone Corp. 1983 Allied Telephone Company 1984 ALLTEL Georgia, Inc. H. M. Stewart H. M. Stewart C. Hearn (sold in 1964) Aubrey Sikes (sold in 1966) Purchased by Mid-Continent H. M. Stewart (formerly Mid-Continent Telephone Corp.) Merged with Mid-Continent (formerly Mid-Georgia Telephone Corp.) 38 It shall remain a mystery the exact number of these small telephone com- panies that existed before the turn of the century. This will end any further at- tempt to trace the steps of the hundreds of exchanges in Georgia that came and went and changed ownership. We will not, therefore, attempt the impossible. This brings us to a point in time that we can tap other resources including the mandatory Georgia Public Service Com- mission reports. Bell/independent com- pany facts, and the well-kept records of H. M. Stewart, Sr., and Colonel Bob Alford, and the GTA; together they mir- ror the movement of our industry in the state. Telephone Equipment The Bell system was destined to become the worlds foremost corporate entity, owning and operating more than one-third of the telephone exchanges, more than 75 percent of the telephones, and nearly 90 percent of the toll facilities in the U.S. However, at the time the basic Bell patents began to expire in the early 1890s, Mr. Bell and his associates owned little more than the telephone in- struments they had manufactured for lease to individuals, associations, and corporations. The fledgling Bell com- pany had concentrated its resources on manufacture for lease and, consequent- ly, had not kept pace with the zooming interest in, and demand for, the new communications gadgetry. Reference to Bells leasing ar- rangements, which continued well into the 20th century, supplies some miss- ing links in the story of the independent telephone companies. According to old-timers in the industry, the fact of Bells early concentration on leasing in- dicates that nearly all local telephone systems in the U.S. were originally independentnot established by the Bell interestand put together by local entrepreneurs. Further, many, if not most, local systems now owned and operated by Bell companies were ac- quired through purchase. It also explains why local telephone operations in Georgia communities such as Atlanta, Carrollton, Gainesville, and LaGrange were already established prior to expira- tion of the Bell patents. While available records dont confirm such a conclusion, it is reasonable to assume that these ear- ly Georgia operations relied on Bells leasing of its own instruments. When the patents expired, non-Bell related telephone manufacturing plants soon dotted the landscape. The original patents covered the end- use device, or telephone instrument, and at no time covered the switchboard. Telephone switchboards were in fact switching boards with the added respon- sibility of signaling the party called. They were commonly enclosed by upright. oak wood cabinets and contained a panel which controlled the direction of electric current directing telephone calls. There is reason to believe that an open wire line system with local battery manually-operated switchboard was the earliest used in rural Georgia aireas. As common battery magneto boards and automatic switching appeared, they were first used in larger cities and were con- sidered commonplace by 1895, but it was not until the 1900s that they came to rural Georgia. Abstracts of data on telephone equip- ment, operations of telephone ex- changes and appropriateness of a telephone exchange as an exhibit at Georgia Agrirama were prepared in 1981. This brief but comprehensive study of South Georgia telephony con- tains a great deal of authentic informa- tion. This description of the first south Georgia apparatus was a part of the study: 39 troducing their telephones and telephone equipment to independent Georgia by helping to originate ex- changes in Valdosta (200 wire exchange with 54 telephones), Quitman (100 wire exchange with 73 telephones), Waycross (100 wire exchange with 84 telephones), and Tifton (50 wire exchange with 46 telephones). The message also claimed that the companies previously mention- ed could save their customers more than 100 percent as compared to the same services by the Bell company. The following appeared in the December 1, 1896, Valdosta, Georgia, List of Subscribers (telephone directory). ' BALTIMORE, MD Nov. 30, 1&>3. tbc public: This Directory will give within itself a fair idea of the tele* phone business and its rapid growth. While the telephone is nearly 20 years old, it was only last year the public was per* mitted to xise it unencumbered by patents. On January 1st, 1890, we sent our Mr. Ooodrum to Valdosta to introduce our phones and telephonic aparatus. With Valdos- ta as a center be has made rapid progress, and has reached over 50 other places and built four.exchangesValdosta, 200 wire exchange, with 164 'phones, started with 36 names on first con- tract; Quitman 100 wire exchange with 73 'phones, started with 20 names on first contract; Waycross 100 wire exchange with 34 phones, started with 32 names; llfton 50 wire exchange, 46 'phones, started with 25 names. , Each of these exchanges is now larger than ever before, and they are enjoying a substantial and steady growth. These exchanges are owned by local capital and managed by boards of directors in their respective places. All exchanges are doing nicely and earning neat dividends. They are saving the people over 100 per cent, as charged by the Bell Co. for the same service in places occupied by them. Every telephone turned out is a long distance Instrument and equipped with the most powerful transmitter made by W. B. Williford. Also the long distance Telephone Company now incorpor- ated as the Southern Telephone and Telegraph Company an. extensive connection in this vicinity and is rapidly pushing forward to other places. It is now doing a Telephone and Telegraph busi- ness. In this it comes in competition with two of the greatest monopolies in the United States and it is giving the people a bet- ter rate and should receive the preference when they each reach the same place. We have 20 years experience in the manufacture of Tele- phones and Telephonic specialties. Tours truly, viaduct MF*0 CO., Baltimore, Md. While the geographic areas of Georgia were not foremost in the nations early telephone picture, it is to their credit that adequate independent company telephone service was available at an ear- ly date. A great portion of the accolades goes to those who aided in the develop- ment of the limited equipment that was available. With the coming of the early 1900s, there was more and better equip- ment and instruction. pear on the scene were Automatic Elec- tric Company, Sumter Telephone Manufacturing Company, Viaduct Manufacturing, Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company and American Electric Telephone, to name a few. Viaduct Manufacturing Company bas- ed in Baltimore, Maryland, was probably the first independent telephone supplier to produce switchboard equipment for Georgias rural telephone companies. Sumter Telephone Manufacturing Com- pany of South Carolina appeared on the scene at about the same time. A Viaduct advertisement in the Quit- man, Georgia, telephone directory dated November 30, 1896, boasted of in- The poles were 40 feet high, ap- proximately 12-17 inches in diameter, with between one and ten 10 foot crossarms spaced two feet apart carrying 10 wires each spaced 12 inches apart. The in- sulators were glass and certain distinct shapes are characteristic of the 1890s. All the lines were at- tached to the central office by plac- ing crossarms on the outside of the building. (Hayes, Martha Green, Tele- phone Exchange, unpublished manuscript prepared at Georgia Agrirama, 1981.) Some of the first manufacturers to ap- Butler, Georgia toll entrance prior to cutover to dial in 1950s, (Note lines attached to office with crossarm). 40 news BUl_l_ET\N /4^4ACCCUOut June \9fc2 1940 Oliver S. Dyson with son George Dyson. George is now president of Wilkes Telephone Company. HURRY BACK, JOE t7-- iU 0 Husnn oroiect otticer ?or tWe SignoV BaUa\ion at > Ft. Geotge f ^ ^Sorge oO-5e^8'-' Emp>ri o Ethr>? Mrs- Georg!*- EoP'f roinPy' , Telepboo CoinP J-airmount A* 'Owner. Telepbon ^ , hone Company . c... Suioter* :il. Telepton GlennviU, 5,rner, C. R- ^ hnle Georg!*- Glej>rlt*nf>ra.^O.e;. : e Company. Gordon Teje^^on^g^ ^?J*o'don. Georg.a- op3-rr.ro-" , hone Company. Hamptop'^fitt. B. >i- Georgia- Company. , Telephone Comp Harleffl 0^er ^v/ vm Georgia. Harlem. rompany. . , TelepbPn* ^ Hart Gonnty^ , vkinsvihe. * ^ct***- lawkinav ' bahTelepho":5r lep^bah. u v.P Veflic SliipP. lir^m. Georg'*- Georgia- . Telepl>rB iSSGeorgi*. Telephone Boechton Sr... ^^?LatS!.Georg'*- , . e Company. Ideal Owner. 'l^deal-Geore- rate Telephon* Interstate Telephf,<;'' InW^j. Barrow, T^Uapulg- Iaspertrro"n-- ^ctnf-. Georg.*- 11, Telephone Comp d^-a"teaarG-- Jeeronv!Ue. Kennedy ^d>'-ner. ^*p^er. Georg!*- ^file.Georg-a- TelephoneConiP*^ Kndo-ie^T*f^^:r.^OwSer. j ^;ci Georgia* ' hnne Company. Luther"h. rompany- . Telephone ComP ^if'c.^Seagroye. Georgia. Route NO. I. , -11. Telephone G^oer. MidyrR'c.iUrPerson?. Mrs. Salhe ^ ^gia. ^Midv*R^ g. Telegraph ^o.. T. E'pg. Georgia- CO.. Ball Grouo'! Telepl.. NeUon-R*j^ Owner. Telephone ComP*y Uewton jlgt.. a j;S O'"*' T.Upko.'.f'*' Oc^ee Tel .Pj^^^well. 0""'*' 75 GEORGIA telephone COMPANIES REPORTING TO Tuv r TO THE COMMISSION 1933 Odum Teleplione Company, C. Moody. Owner, Odum, Georgia. Omega TcIepHone Company, C. i. Swam, Mgr., Omega, Georgia. ParVer Teiepiione Company, PatVer, Owner, polkston, Georgia. Peatley Teiepiione Company, C. R. Stanford. Owner, Gienwood, Georgia. Pembroke Telephone Company, G. S. 'Williama, Owner, Pembroke, Georgia. Pinebnrst Tel^bone Company, Mis. J. Vf. Broxton, Owner, Gnadilla, Georgia. Plains Telephone Company, A. C. Murray, Owner, Plains, Georgia. Reynolds Telephone Company, (PubUc Service Tei. Co.l Mrs. Bessie Bond, Owner, 617 'West Adams Street, Macon, Georgia. Ringgold Telephone Company, J. E. Evitt, Owner, Ringgold, Georgia. Roberta Telephone Company, (Public Service Telephone Co.) Mrs. Bessie Bond, Owner, 617 'West Adams Street, Macon, Georgia. Sandy Cross Telephone Company, Mrs. F. C. Stevens, Route No. 1, Carlton, Georgia. Savannah 'Valley Telephone Company, Geo. D. Perry, Receiver, Savannah, Georgia. St. Marys 8i 'Eingsland Telephone Co., ' 1. F. Bailey, Jr., M^., St. Marys, Georgia, Seminold Telephone Company, , R. Jordan, Owner, Ellavdle, Georgia. Simpson Telephone Company, William Simpson, Owner, Trenton, Georgia. Soperton T elephone Company, 0. M. Denton, Mgr., Soperton, Georgia. Statesboro Telephone Company, J. 1,. Mathews, Pres., Statesboro, Georgisu Tarrytown Telephone Company, C. 'W. Beckworth, Mgr., Tarrytown, Georgia. Taylorsville Telephone Company, G. O. Lumpkin, Owner, Taylorsville, Georgia. Telephone Service Company, H. A. Chichester, Receiver, Summerville, Georgia, Thomaston Telephoue ti Telegraph Company, 'W. M. Mew,'Pres., Thomaston, Georgisi. Toccoa Electric Power Company, (Tel. Division) }. C. Guild, Jr., Pres., Power Building, Chattanooga, Tenn. The Trion Company, J.E. Elliott, Trion, Georgia. Union Point Telephone Company, J. H. Darby, Mgr., White PMina, Georgia. Utelwico Telephone Company, C. L. Battle, Pres., Ellaville, Georgia. Vienna Telephone Company, W. M. Turton, Mgr. Si (3wner, Vienna, Georgia. Walker County Telephone Co., W. C. Burney, Pres., LaFayette, Georgia. Warwick Telephone Company, H. P. Gleaton, Owner, Warwick. Georgia. Waverly Hall Telephone Company, Geo. T. Whisnant, Mgr., Waverly Hall, Georgia. Wayne Telephone Company, Mrs. Mary Jackson (Ollier, Owner, Odum, Georgia. Wayne Telephone Company, Mrs. Mary Jackson Collier, Owner, Screven, Georgia. Western Carohna Telephone Company, G. J. Johnston, Mgr., Franklin, N. C. Southern Bell Tdephone & Telegraph Co., T. Barton Baird, Georgia Manager, Atlanta, Georgia. Southeastern Telephone Comnanv ol Ga W. E. Glisson, Gen. Mgr., kl5 East Park Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida, Standard Telephone Company, M. C. York, Manager, Clarksville, Georgia. 'Whigham Telephone Company, Ben 'VVright, Owner, Whigham, Georgia. White Plains Telephone Company, J. H. Darby, Mgr., White Plains, Georgia. Wilkes Telephone Company, O. S. Dyson, Mgr., Washington, Georgia. Yateaville Telephone Company, J. J. Fincher, Mgr., Yateaville, Georgia. 76 WASHINGTON. D.C., JANUARY 1972....David A. Hamil, Governor of the Rural Telephone Bank, approves a loan of $557,500.00 to the Plant Telephone & Power Company. Inc., Tifton, Georgia. This was the fifth loan made by the Telephone Bank. REA Loan Program Congress responded to the needs of rural telephony with a 1949 revision of the Rural Electrification Administration Loan Bill. This move, credited to Senator Lister Hill of Alabama and Representative W R. Poage of Texas, was actually an amendment to the Rural Electrification Act and provided for the inclusion of telephone companies in a program of low interest loans for build- ing telephone facilities, and for rehabil- itating and expanding existing facilities. Many Georgia companies responded by immediately filing applications for these two percent, 35-year loans. Other stipulatiions of the bill, such as population limitations and the fact that the lender claimed first mortgage on all the company assets, caused this to re- main primarily an independent company loan program and some of the first com- panies applied with reluctance. The REA loan agreement provided needed leverage to more compensatory local rate structures. All REA loan con- tracts set forth specific minimum local rates to which the proposed loan was yoked. Rates equal to or better than those prescribed had to be authorized by the Public Service Commission before any funds could be drawn down. While all Georgia Telephone Associa- tion members are not REA borrowers, and though it was not immediately realized, these loans were essential to the survival and success of some com- panies in Georgia and all over the United States. The first REA loan in Georgia was granted to Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company on June 17,1952. It was possibly a result of that loan that the Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company was the scene of the first cut- over in Georgia. J. H. Cook was presi- dent of the company at the time. The second Georgia company to receive an REA loan was Comer Telephone Com- pany on September 23,1953, of which John Birchmore was president. Standard Telephone Company of Cornelia, operated by H. M. Stewart, Sr., was third in line. An REA report shows that by 1959, only ten years after the bill was passed, Georgia telephone companies had bor- rowed $21,950,000 to provide service to 46,320 subscribers. i Telephone co-operatives became a by- product of these loans. An example in Georgia was the Bulloch Rural Telephone Co-op, Inc. formed to serve Brooklet, Nevil, and Portal, using REA funds. William Will Kelley, a long-time friend of Georgia telephony, in his pre- sent position as REA director. Southeast Area-Telephone, provided the approx- imate figures on REA loans to Georgia telephone companies since inception of the program in 1949 to the present. Total amount of locins... $455,507,848 (Non-loan funds amounted to $7,580,710) Number of Georgia telephone companies receiving loans since commencement of REA........28 Number of subscribers that the REA loans have affected.......... 347,746 Above: 1971 GTA Convention (L-R) Nancy Kelly, Dean and Kay Swanson, Will Kelly. Left: H. M. Stewart, Jr. shown accepting REA's Distinguished Service Award from REA Administrator David Hamil at the 1977 USITA convention. No other Georgian has received this award. Right: In a typical rural Georgia scene, the sky was blackened with proof that the long awaited telephone had arrived. These funds have assisted the in- dependent telephone companies of Georgia to increase telephone plant thereby providing improved communica- tion service for the state. Last Magneto Switchboard In Georgia An interesting event in Georgia telephone history took place when in March, 1960, a mock funeral was held at which the switchboard of the last magneto telephone exchange was buried with proper ceremony in Milan. Before the final rites. Mayor Echol made the last call through the switchboard from his grocery store in Milan. H. C. Hearn, Jr., president and general manager of the Dixie Telephone Company, helped to lower the switch- board into its grave. The headstone, a permanent marker, was placed and in- scribed as follows: 1907-1960 Here lies the last magneto tele- phone switchboard operated in the state of Georgia. Buried at Milan by the Dixie Telephone Company, this 16th day of March 1960. Charlie Joe Mathews, a familiar and popular figure in Georgia independent telephony and GTA president at the time, acted as master of ceremonies at a banquet which followed. John S. Seigle, then Georgia general manager of Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, appeared on the program and his address Progress Together was a highlight of the event. Representatives from the Georgia Public Service Commission, REA officials, GTA members, local exchange customers, and other invited guests joined in mark- ing the event. Telephones For a President Not since President Franklin D. Roosevelt frequented Warm Springs had Georgians been called upon to provide full and permanent telecommunications service for the President of the United States until Jimmy Carter from Plains was elected to the nations highest office. Citizens Telephone Company with headquarters in Leslie was summoned to meet the challenge, since the Plains exchange was a franchise of that company. In an article written for the January 24,1977, issue of Telephony Magazine Tommy Smith, president and owner of the Citizens Company, stated, A presi- dent must have access to the hot line, there must be open circuits for the wire service printers, and special banks of phones for the press, the Secret Service and other White House operations. This meant that forecast plans for ex- pansion of the facilities at the Plains ex- change had to be accelerated and vast- ly increased. Mr. Smith approached the mandate by putting into service the com- panys first direct distance dialing system (ODD) and initiated touchtone calling and simultaneously added 11 new D3 PCM toll carrier systems, all within a three-month period. First Lady Rosalyn Carter made the call that inaugurated touchtone calling service in Plains on a telephone that would be a Christmas gift to daughter Amy. Orders were placed for three Vidar carrier systems. The Vidar Company responded to the urgent need by deliver- ing two D3 terminals within 18 days, shipping them by air from California. Within a week this equipment was in- stalled and cut into service. Smith remembers the total elapsed time from Several Secret Service Agents and represen- tatives of the White House Communications Agency stand ready as President Carters helicopter arrives at the grass landing strip at Plains, Georgia. "LD" lines were installed at the grass airstrip out- side Plains for press use each time President Carter came home to Plains. These lines enabled the Press to dial directly out to a long distance operator. Ronny Chapman of Citizens Telephone Co. is shown inspecting one of the LD lines installed for press use during one of President Carter's visits to Plains during 1977, These lines were installed to handle the flood of calls originating in Plains when the President came home. the date of our original request was on- ly 24 days on a job that we normally would expect to take up to three months. The expansion included extended area service (EAS), doubling service capacity, placing terminal equipment, in- stalling three repeaters on substantial cable, as well as constructing an addi- tion to the existing telephone office building in Plains. It comes as no sur- prise that this has been described as pro- bably the largest expansion programin the shortest period of time in the history of telephony. Occasionally other Georgia telephone companies were called upon to provide temporary telephone service for Presi- dent Carter since extensive communica- tions was required even for a brief stay. (Authors Note: I happened to answer the telephone at my home one weekend when a voice said, This is the White House calling. The caller wanted Stan- dard Telephone Company to provide ex- tended telephone facilities at a north Georgia residence where President Carter expected to get away on a weekend fishing trip. Since Standard Telephone Companys chairman. Milt Stewart, Jr., was attending a USTA meeting in Washington, I suggested that he contact company president Dean Swanson. Although somewhat excited at first, Vaughn Colwell, Fred Holbrooks and other capable people at Standard Telephone Company made satisfactory arrangements for the Presidents weekend.) Tommy Smith and Citizens Telephone Company were featured in a cover story in Telephony magazine. Mrs. Carters picture appeared on the cover using the new system. It is interesting to note that all of this happened in a city with a population of 683, a radius estimated at approximately telephony JANUARY 24, 1977_____________THE JOURNAL OF THE TELEPHONE INDUSTRY SINCE 1901 TOP NEWS: Optical communications to premier in Chicago, p. 11 * AT&T urges free dual listings, p. ii * PUC examiner: PT&T should refund money, cut rates, p. le BICS pre-planning guides Calgary Airport project to safe landing, p. 24 Independent handles Southern White House communications (cover, p. 19) 81 Cover reprinted with permission of Telephony Magazine. Shown inspecting the new additions to the Plains central office in December, 1976 are: (L-R) Gordon Duff of Citizens Telephone Co., Billy Carter, brother of President Carter, and Jim Gyed, manufacturer's representative. Charlis Johnston of Citizens Telephone Co. installs special lines for use of the press in Plains, Georgia. The various news networks would pool" their facilities into one outside video feed. This is the inside of the TV networks control center. one mile at its widest and a main street only a few blocks long. Mr. Smith was eager to say that he had the good fortune to have capable employees, the help of a retired Bell consultant, the cooperation of the manufacturer, and valuable advice from his Georgia telephone industry peers, aiding in his success. The Georgia Telephone Association received a letter on November 22,1966, from President Carter which stated: I am proud that Citizens Telephone Company, an in- dependent telephone com- pany and a member of Georgia Telephone Associa- tion, serves Plains, Georgia, and my home. I wish to thank your industry for the service it performs in the communications industry, not only in Georgia but the entire nation. Aided by past experiences of having already served two governors, two senators, and three representatives. Citizens Telephone Company provided prompt and efficient telephone service for the President of the United States. TO REACH THE PLAINS WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD DIAL 9I2-S24-7IIS 9 ft'.-- TO REACH THE PLAINS WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD DIAL 9I2S24-7II5 Each time President Carter returned home to Plains, the White House Communications Agency Trip Officer" would have calling cards printed to distribute to selected staff members so that they could have access to the presidential switchboard. TO REACH THE PLAINS WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD ON ELECTION DAY NOVEMBER 4, 1980 DIAL 9I2-824-7II1 82 Representation On National Associations The National Independent Telephone Association was formed in May, 1987, in Chicago, Illinois. This organized plan for joint resistance to aggressions of the Bell company was a response to the bullish encroachment upon the small independent companies by the American Bell Telephone Company. The organized strength of this unity brought about commitments and laws that eventually resolved the major dif- ferences. In the course of change, the name eventually became the United States Independent Telephone Associa- tion (USITA) and then the United States Telephone Association (USTA). The in- dependent I was removed after the divestiture ruling in 1984. USTA represents the largest membership organization in the independent telephone industry. The unity that ex- ists in the telephone industry today is displayed in this organization which in- vites membership from all telephone companies. In early years, Georgia played a passive role in the national telephone scene; however, as the Georgia Telephone Associations strength and prestige grew, members became restive concerning a representation on USITAs official board of directors. For more than a quarter of a century the USITA board had not drawn a representative from either of the four southern states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, or Mississippi. As the incumbent president of the Georgia Telephone Association during the mid-1950s, the late John Bir- chmore of Comer appointed himself manager of a campaign to bring a seat on this prestigious board to Georgia. This drive culminated in H. M. Stewart, Sr., Standard Telephone Company, being named as a member of USITA board of directors in 1958. The Georgia Telephone Association has seen to it that this seat continues to be filled by a representative of Georgia telephony. Horace W. Vaughan, now deceased, was elected to the USITA board at a meeting in Chicago in 1960. When H. M. Stewart, Sr. retired from the USITA Board after serving 12 years. Cam Lanier, III, of Interstate Telephone Company, West Point, was elected from Georgia. Dean Swanson, president. Standard Telephone Company, succeed- ed Lanier and now fills that seat serv- ing as vice-chairman of the organization. The Organization for Protection and Advancement of Small Telephone Com- panies (OPASTCO) represents small telephone companies and has represen- tation from all over the United States. Georgians who have served on the OPASTCO board include Art and Frances Barnes, Chickamauga Telephone Company; Milt Stewart, Jr., Standard Telephone Company, and Don Bond, Public Service Telephone Com- pany. Mr. Bond also serves on the board of National Exchange Carriers (NECA). H. M. Stewart, Jr. just concluded a tenure as president of OPASTCO, and Art Barnes was the first Georgian to serve in that position. In 1982 A. M. Ben Bennett of Pineland Telephone Cooperative was elected director of the National Telephone Cooperative (NTCA). Mr. Bennett represented the Region II geographic area, made up of Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and the com- monwealth of Puerto Rico. These and other national associations remain strong and active and have significant impact on matters of infor- mation, education and legislation affect- ing all states, including Georgia. H. Milton Stewart. Sr., (right), Chairman of the Board of the Standard Telephone Company, Cornelia, Ga., is congratulated by President Frank S. Barnes, Jr., of the U.S. Independent Telephone Association, upon receiving the organizations highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. The presentation took place at USITAs 79th annual convention in Washington, D.C. Mr. Stewart celebrated his 90th birthday in January, 1987. He was president of the Georgia firm from 1939 until 1972, when he assumed the board chairmanship, then chairman emeritus. He was cited for his long and outstanding leadership in the industry. Mr. Stewart is the first and only Georgian to receive this honor. 83 Right: Art Barnes, first Georgian to serve as president of OPASTCO, former GTA President. Left: Milt Stewart, past president of OPASTCO, as he addressed legislative and GTA group. Audience includes Sam Nunn, Herman Talmadge, Phil Landrum seated at table with Albert Harrison. Far Left: Don Bond, Public Service Telephone Company (second from left) visits with Mary Eunice Jones and other friends. Don serves on NECA board of directors. Left: Frances Barnes, first woman president of GTA, former president Chicamauga Telephone Company. OPASTCO board member. Far Right: Dean Swanson, third vice-chairman of USTA, (L-R) Wes Dodd, D. Swanson, Georgias beloved Senator Sam Nunn and Kay Swanson. radis: SOU^ 84 Part Three yis&aciatiofi' GEORGIA TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION Organized Independent Telephony Operating a frail telephone business in an unexplored field offered many challenges. Small telephone companies continued to disappear and reappear as a few strugglers went bankrupt or lack- ed management skills and fell by the wayside, but most succumbed to the tempting purchase offers. There are reports from Georgia pioneers that a large company would invest money or equipment with the small companies and when the smaller company could not pay, it would then be acquired. This is not to imply that this type of acquisition was a company policy; only that it did happen in Georgia in a number of un- contested cases. Former commitments had not been fuHy embraced. Misunderstanding and resentments toward the large, outside companies continued to mount. Having this common bond, as well as the need to learn from and help each other, in- dependent state associations began to spring up all over the country. The first available information in- dicates that organized independent telephony came to the south in 1902 when the Southern Independent Telephone Association was formed in Charleston, South Carolina. The length of time the organization was in existence or the exact activities, are not known. We do know that the following officers were elected representing North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. Southern Independent Telephone Association March, 1902Charleston, South Carolina F. V. L. TurnerAtlanta, Georgia President W. G. BroreinTampa, Florida Vice President W. B. MooreYorkville, South Carolina Vice President W. W. ShawDurham, South Carolina Vice President P. D. LangdonAtlanta, Georgia Secretary/T reasurer The only other regional organization of this time period on record was the Southern Independent Telephone Association formed in the fall of 1908 in Bainbridge, Georgia. It is assumed that the motivation of this group was not unlike its predecessor of 1902. The following officers were elected: Southern Independent Telephone Association 1908Bainbridge, Georgia Dr. J. G. DeanDawson, Georgia President Dr. W. L. MooreTallahassee, Florida Vice President T. E. GurrBainbridge, Georgia Vice President W. N. DrakePelhan, Georgia Secretary/T reasurer The membership of this union represented 16,600 independent telephones. Then in 1919, the first Georgia Association made up entirely of Georgia independent companies, of which we can find record, was formed. Our knowledge about the gathering is limited to the degree that only the date, place and officers elected can be passed on. Georgia Independent Telephone Association 1919Moultrie, Georgia R. L. StewartMoultrie, Georgia President W. R. BowenFitzgerald, Georgia Vice President T. R. NunnallyMonroe, Georgia Secretary/T reasurer I have as yet been unable to discover the reasons this organization did not continue to function or any record of its incorporation or its disbanding. I suspect the companies were so small that the struggling operations of the business allowed little time for attending to the association. Also, vast changes in ownership weakened the unity. There is reason to believe that there were still many problems and misunder- standings within the industry as in- dicated by stories told to me by tele- phone pioneers. The need for organized effectiveness persisted. Records indicate that the association name was changed to the Georgia Association of Independent Companies and was reactivated on February 13,1923, at the Hotel Ansley in Atlanta, Georgia. The following slate of officers was elected: Georgia Association of Independent Telephone Companies 1923Atlanta, Georgia William R. BowenFitzgerald, Georgia President W. R. HunterQuitman, Georgia 1st Vice President J. M. DentonDouglas, Georgia Vice President P. D. FortuneLafayette, Georgia Vice President 88 J. L. MathewsStatesboro, Georgia Secretary/T reasurer J. Prince WebsterAtlanta, Georgia General Counsel The Directors elected at the same 1923 meeting were: W. R. Bowen, Fitzgerald J. N. Dent, Douglas A. A. Fincher, Canton P. D. Fortune, Lafayette W. D. Horton, McRae W. R. Hunter, Quitman W. A. Jennings, Hawkinsville J. Smith Lanier, West Point J. L. Mathews, Statesboro W. M. New, Washington As the annals of time settled the con- troversial issues, a harmonious blend of the Bell company and independents began to take shape. With restructur- ing, the Bell company was invited for the first time to join the Georgia association. While this 1923 organization did not escape the ups and downs of the early years of the industry, it can be tracked as an embryo of our existing association. Once again the roots were not strong enough to withstand the menancing pro- blems that besieged this organization. Late in the 1920s Georgias popula- tion neared three million and the number of small independent companies serving the state continued to increase. The industry was well ensconced and the companies again attempted to solidify at a meeting held in 1929 at the Ansley Hotel in Atlanta. The voting members again elected to include the Bell company in the associa- tion and selected these officers to serve. Georgia Telephone Association November, 1929 Atlanta, Georgia W. R. Bowen............President C. G. Beck...........Vice President J. Prince Webster.........Secretary- Treasurer-Attorney (C. G. Beck was elected as director of the organization and he is thought to have been elected vice president.) As a further action at the meeting, voting privileges were designated accord- ing to the number of connected telephones which the company had: 0-500 telephones 1 Vote Over 500 telephones 2 Votes For much of this time the Bell com- pany and independents enjoyed a mutually satisfying association, both learning from and helping each other. Bob Alford told this story concerning the Bell company. When I joined the Commission staff in 1934, the Bell company had a man by the name of Railroad Thomas who kept extra batteries, cords and circuits available to make repairs for small independent companies that had no plant people, no supplies, and no money to get any. He went around to the indepen- dent companies if they had pro- blems and offered the services he had available. This worked to the benefit of all parties, since improv- ed service was good for business. If the independent operators in Warm Springs could not reach the toll center, then both the Bell 89 company and independent were af- fected. Bells goal was to increase the revenue which helped every- one. Transcripts of a meeting held in Atlan- ta, at the Piedmont Hotel on February 12-13, 1937, indicate that remnants of dissension endured. A plan to exclude Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company from the Association member- ship was proposed and passed by a vote of seven to three. This vote excluded from membership a number of duly elected officers and directors. In November, 1937, another meeting convened in which the actions taken at the February meeting were nullified, and the existing officers' and directors were confirmed on the grounds that the vote had not been taken in conformity with the bylaws of the organization. Georgia Telephone Association Banquet honoring old timers at Biltmore Hotel. Atlanta. Georgia. Top row: Archie New. Sam Green, , George Kinsman. Slim Poque, A. A. Fincher, H. M. Stewart, Sr., Bonnie Parker, T. B. Baird, Judge E. B. Emrey. Front Row; C. J. Matthews. Lonnie Parker, Edith Green, John Birchmore, C. Hearn, C, R. Sikes. J, Smith Lanier. (Magneto telephone presented to the Southern Bell Telephone Museum by C. Hearn of Dixie Telephone Company.) Honoring Old Timers For more than 45 years preceding the establishment of a permanent office in Atlanta, the business of the association was handled on a part-time basis by various individuals. From its inception until about 1943 or 1944 the business of the association was handled by J. Prince Webster, an attorney in the city of Atlanta. He was followed by R. S. Bob Griffin of Monroe, Georgia. He was succeeded by H. M. Stewart of Cor- nelia, Georgia. Next in succession was Mr. S. B. Sam Green of Ellijay, Georgia. Mr. Green was followed by Henry Cabiness of Cabiness-Hoag an ac- counting and engineering firm. Mr. Cabiness served for a period of one year and was followed by E. R. Gene Britt of Metter, Georgia. Mansfield Jennings of Hawkinsville succeeded Mr. Britt and served until a full-time executive was engaged and the Atlanta office was established. Sam Green (Ellijay Telephone Company). In the battered black suitcase he carried the GTA records until the Atlanta office was established. Mr. Lonnie Parker (far right) registering at GTA Convention. received and accumulated during the sbc years he served as secretary were passed on to his successor, except for the few volumes which are still available to draw on for this record. It is these files that are the largest part of this report. An outline of activities, officers and direc- tors from this time forward is a matter of record in the GTA newsletters. Milton Stewart, Sr. purchased the assets of Standard Telephone Company of Clarkesville, Georgia, in 1939. Bring- ing with him more than 30 years of various telephone experience, he moved his family to Georgia in 1945 to begin full-time operation of the company. He ably nurtured tbe company through a tenure as its president enables him to expound on the subject. The following was written by Mr. Stewart to shed light on the early history of the association. The wave of buying by syn- dicated companies during the mid- dle and late 1920s had an adverse and frustrating impact on the fledgling Georgia organization. Among other things, sale of key units to the syndicates robbed the association of leadership and gen- erated conflicts of interest. Con- sequently, enthusiasm and activi- ty dwindled until late 1929 when broad revisions were made in the A Pioneer Remembers With the exception of the foregoing information virtually nothing in the way of continuity of a historical narrative or vital records of the association is available before H. M. Stewart, Sr. became secretary of the association in 1946. Such material and records as he struggling experiences with full impact of the hardship of a small Georgia in- dependent company. His leadership and personal commitment to GTA, enhanc- ed by a personality that made everyone he met feel like his favorite child, brought him to his seat of eminent distinction among Georgians. Six years as secretary of GTA, followed by 90 organizational structure, constitu- tion and bylaws. If memory serves me right, it was in November 1929 that a group of independent and Bell telephone men assembled in the Ansley Hotel in Atlanta for the purpose of revitalizing telephone association activity in the state of Georgia. Out of this meeting came the Georgia Telephone Associa- tion. By-laws were changed to ad- mit to active membership any in- dividual, company or corporation owning an operating system or systems within the state of Georgia. I was present during this meeting. Within a matter of months the adolescent organization was con- fronted with new and difficult pro- blems. A niagara of legislation and regulatory edicts generated by the New Deaf thrusts a horde of new opportunities and demands upon trade associations. Meanwhile, the Georgia Telephone Association developed a progressive case of economic and leadership anemia. The economic depression that enveloped the country in the 1930s hit Georgia telephony with a double whammy. In addition to heavy revenue loss suffered from diminishing use of service and facilities, most Georgia telephone companies were ordered by the Georgia Public Service Commis- sion to reduce local exchange rates and charges by 25 percent. The disastrous threat embedded in this action is evidenced in the fact that no other state tried it. Wisconsin imposed a reduction of ten per- cent. Continuing in effect for up- wards of 15 years the starvation rates combined with the ravages of the economic depression of the 1930s literally bankrupted tele- phony in Georgia. Fighting for bare existence, management had little money or time to invest in association activity. Instead of being able to capitalize the challenges confront- ing it, the Georgia Telephone Association was forced to bring its activities within the limits of a declining membership and budgetary support. For years the association could do little more than maintain the structural organization. Activities were limited to routine relationships with state agencies and one day annual meetings. Much credit is due a handful of intrepid and dedicated leaders who managed to maintain the Georgia Telephone Associations identity during these Above: Mrs. Norman and Below: GTA Convention Mrs. Nicholson working at Mr. and Mrs. Downing registration desk. J. F. Musgrove, Mr. and Mrs. T. Callaham and George Barton Braid. Mr. and Mrs. Kinsman (center). John Seigle. difficult and trying years. Buffeted and frustrated by the associations inability to cope with problems common to the industry, dissension began to develop within the ranks. By the early 1940s the appropriation for a legal retainers fee was dropped from the budget whereupon Mr. Webster resigned as secretary-treasurer-attorney. R. S. Griffin of Monroe was elected secretary and W. A. Echols of Commerce was named treasurer. The 1944 annual meeting which convened in the Henry Grady Hotel in Atlanta which I attended was devoted primarily to an open and arms length discussion of pro- posed re-alignment of the associa- tions objectives and functions. After considerable deliberation a motion to restore the organization to an independent (non-Bell) status failed. Budgetary, organiza- tional, and other changes were adopted. Renewed interest pro- duced by this meeting brought much larger and more represen- tative registrations to the 1945 and 1946 annual meetings held in the Oglethorpe Hotel on Wilmington Island near Savannah. In late 1945 or early 1946, A. M. (Arlie) New of Thomaston was named secretary to ffll the vacancy created by R. S. Griffins resignation. The slate of officers elected at the November 1946 annual meeting was headed by Mr. New of Thomaston. I drew the post of secretary-treasurer-business Manager for which I received the stipend of $75 per month. In the vernacular of the day, Mr. New and I hit the ground running. A visionary and agressive ad- ministrator, Mr. New recognized and was eager to grapple with the opportunities and challenges con- fronting the association. I brought to my Job ten years of experience gained as full-time, professional business manager of the Texas Telephone Association and the Pennsylvania Independent Tele- phone Association, plus 20 years of experience in the operating and 91 more representative and ac- ceptable service standards. Work order procedures, continuing property record systems, and formal tariff filings were presented and promoted through symposi- ums and convention programs. In 1948 Mr. W. C. (Slim) Martin of Fitzgerald succeeded Mr. New as president of the association. He in turn was succeeded by Ed Burney of La Fayette, Georgia. I continued as secretary until the 1952 annual meeting when I was elected president of the association. It cannot be said that the path was entirely free of briers and rocks. Personal differences and internal dissension were readily subdued by pressing problems Charlie Jo Matthews at speaker's podium. Bryants and Gleatons share the head table. Art Barnes and Lindsay Supply Company hosted ladies luncheon at GTA convention among the faces; Eleanor Chaffin. Jessie Callaham, Helen Stewart, Trudy Bryant, Jenny Alford, Eileen Gleaton, Mary Barousis. Sidney Lanier. common to the industry. A grave crisis brought on by action of the Bell system was resolved through frank and arms link discussion. About 1950 it was discovered that the Bell system had negotiated agreements with a number of companies covering wide area telephone service (WATS) without having first reconciled the terms and conditions of those agree- ments with the National and State Association. This action was contrary to the previous commitment by the Bell system and triggered criticism on the part of leaders within the independent Fishing trip(L-R) Charles While, V.P. Operations Commerce/Comer; Archie Croker, Former D & R; Julius McElreath, Retired Lineman; Melvin Ingram, C.O. Switchperson; Vernon Manders. Plant Supv.; Gene Brake, Operations Mgr. Byron District; Ed Wilbanks. Former C. O. Supv.; W. L. New. Sr., Former Owner Commerce Telephone Company. manufacturing Helds. Mr. New con- centrated on the political arena and on involving the membership in the association activities. I gave preferred attention to the associa- tions capabilities and image. A lot of time and energy was invested in visiting telephone managers in their home offices up and down and across the state. Fed by increasing interest, mem- bership, and financial support the program and functions of the as- sociation soon took on new dimen- sions. Within a matter of months the Georgia Telephone Associa- tion W35 well on the way toward becoming one of the nations viable state oganizations. Annual meetings had been extended into three day conventions featuring dynamic and informative pro- grams. Functional committees had been established and prodded in- to action. Convention programs and symposiums were designed to assist companies in better man^e- ment and administrative practices. Good accounting principles were promoted as the key to financing and revised rate structures. Sources of capital for financing purposes were tapped and man- agements were encouraged to seek rate revision that would underwrite GTA Convention Jekyl Island (L-R) Bob and Jenny Alford, Gene Fritt, Jim and Jessie Callaham, Baldy" White, , Charlie Eberhart, , C. J. Matthews. 92 segment of the industty. At a hasti- ly convened meeting of the officers and directors of the Georgia Telephone Association held in the Dempsey Hotel in Macon, Georgia, representatives of the Bell company were subjected to criticism of this act. It was further agreed that all telephone com- panies that had not already done so should be advised to refrain from signing any agreement cover- ing WATS service until the terms and conditions thereof had been agreed to by the United States In- dependent Telephone Association. Like action in other Jurisdictions brought the Bell system to the council table where an equitable and acceptable WATS agreement was soon fashioned. Thus, cooperative effort brought the issue to a close. Milton Stewarts contributions to GTA and his knowledge of the industry lies in his broad association experience and in the leadership apparent in the GTA newsletter files, but more significant, are the accounts from GTA pioneers who told about his sustaining role in these nurturing years. I wish it was possible to repeat here all the endearing stories that Mr. Stewart has of special people and his exciting experiences all over the state. 1 "I I III IIII '1 'Si|r!F JilI'T 1952Thomaston conversion from common battery to dial. The New family has been active in the telephone business in Georgia since 1910 when W. M. New built the Bartow system. After selling the Bartow system, he bought and sold exchanges at Metier and Washington. His son, W. L., an operator at Bartow, said, I never saw a telephone until then. W. M. New operated the Thomaston Telephone Company from 1927 until his death in 1944. His sons, A. M. "Arlie and W. L. Lafayette, continued operation of the company until 1949 when W. L. purchased the Commerce Telephone Company, A. M. was joined by his sons, W. Madison and Mobley, in running the Thomaston company and W. L. was assisted by his sons, W. L., Jr. and Grant, at the Commerce company. W. M. New served as GTA president from 1933-1944. A. M. Arlie served as secretary from 1945-1945, and W. Madison New was GTA president in 1967-68. 1923-1943-44 1944- 1945 1945- 1946 1946- 1952 1952-1956 1957-1958 1959-1966 1967 1967-1974 1974-1987 1987 GTA Secretaries (1923-1987) J. Prince Webster (Secretary, Treasurer, Attorney) Atlanta Attorney A. M. Arlie New President Thomaston Telephone Company R. S. Bob Griffin Monroe H. M. Stewart President, Standard Telephone Company S. B. Green Ellijay Telephone Company Henry Cabiness Cabiness-Hoag Accounting and Engineering Firm E. R. George Britt - President, Metter Telephone Company Mansfield Jennings President, Hawkinsville Telephone Company Bob Hayes Atlanta Attorney (First Paid Fulltime Executive) (Atlanta Office Established) Charles Lindsey Atlanta, Georgia John P. Silk Atlanta, Georgia 93 s GTA Forges Ahead Matt L. McWhorter, former chairman of the Georgia Public Service Commis- sion made the following comment to the GTA members shortly after his retire- ment from the Commission. One of the nicest things con- nected with my service on the Commission has been my close contact with the telephone in- dustry, particularly the in- dependents. I had the pleasure of seeing many of you grow from small, inconspicuous businesses where the only records maintain- ed were carried in your hip pockets to businesses of real im- portance to your communities and your state. The result of that tremendous growth is obvious to everyone. Telephone services rendered by the independents are equal to any to be found anywhere and the important position of respect that you now occupy in your respective communities and your state is one to which all of us can look with pride. This pride McWhorter mentions has caused telephony to be an avocation for many GTA members who were dedicated to opening the windows of communication to Georgians. The association formed of in- dependents, holding companies and the Bell company faced obstacles inbred in the rapidly developing industry. Together and separately they were oc- cupied with these distractions. Schools of instruction and sym- posiums were started for the purpose of teaching and training. Efforts were made to keep the membership informed of new advances, availability of equipment and any opportunities for refinement. Annual fishing trips were organized in an effort to help maintain a good work- ing relationship within the association. These were enjoyed and did in fact ac- complish that goal. The period that began in the 1950s brought growth and prosperity to the GTA member companies. REA loans had an impact, also funding from banks and private sources (including telephone manufacturing companies) loosened up and brought about awaited im- provements in telephone plant. Mansfield Jennings. Jr., Hawkinsville Telephone Company GTA President 1965-1966. As the managers were able to make the transition from old, outdated equip- ment to new or used equipment and from manual to dial, there was cause for celebrations as these cutovers occur- red. Invitations were extended to join the festivities, and the celebration often included an open house and a barbecue or a dinner to mark the occasion. Telephone companies were barbecu- ing all over the state. Congressman Phil Landrum, Gene Blanton, Milt Stewart. TopGlenn Bryant. Jimmy Gleaton, SeatedGene Britt, Charlie Joe Mathews. Few have contributed more to Georgia independent telephony than these four. 94 Below: Rural CelebrationJohnson Corner, near Lyons, 1953. Speakers at the barbecue at New Branch School commemorating completion of the Big Johnson Corner rural telephone project were, seated, Eugene Brogdon, Toombs County Agent; E. C. Bowen. Southern Bell's district manager at Savannah: W. B. Hart, chairman of the telephone committee; R. 0. Clark, master of ceremonies and president of Toombs County Farm Bureau; standing. Dr. Fred Smith, pastor, Lyons Baptist Church; Ross Bowen. Toombs County Commissioner; R, B, Alford, service engineer. Georgia Public Service Commission. Left: Conversion of McRay magneto to dial,. (L-R) Southeastern Telephone Company President,' Mayor, Bob Alford, W.C. Martin, general manager, McRay. Above: 1970Brantley Telephone Company celebrating $600,000 REA loan and DDD conversion at Nahunta. (L-R) Jackie Turnlin, T. E. Raulerson, Nahuntas mayor. Mr. and Mrs. Avery Strickland. To this point all of the business of the association had been handled by the secretary. The office was handed down in a little black suitcase which held all the records of the association (which helps to explain the limited availability of historical records). As the companies began to thrive it became evident that the need for a per- manent office for the association was becoming a real possibility. The search began for office space and for a prospec- tive candidate to operate that office. Concurrently, in 1967, GTA President Madison New received a letter withdraw- ing Southern Bells membership from the association. Opening of a permanent office in Atlanta proved to be a turning point for GTA. Several years of effort culminated GTA Legislative luncheon. Washington, D.C."A thank you for some very special people." in the election on May 1, 1967, of Robert W. Bob Hayes as the executive secretary of the association. Bobs management of the Atlanta office enhanced and enlarged association ac- tivities, as a result, he was very popular. Bobs resignation, after seven years, brought about the election of Charles Lindsey in 1974 to operate the GTA of- fice. Charles successful tenure was ac- companied by vast changes in the in- dustry which placed great demands on the GTA office. Aided by his past business and military experience, Charles met those demands. He spearheaded the activity as the associa- tion became heavily involved in legislative affairs, negotiations among connecting companies, making Georgia Public Service Commission information available, and pulling together a system of effectiveness for operating companies. Charles retired in 1987, after 13 years Congressman Larry McDonald with Art and Frances Barnes. Above: Buddy Bishop Below: Senator Sam Nunn checking badges. visits GTA. with GTA. John P. Silk was elected to fill that vacancy. Georgia independent telephone managements have long recognized their responsibility as citizens of the community and state. They are especial- ly aware of the benefits to be dervied from promoting community progress and welfare. Telephone company managers acknowledge that an economically and socially healthy com- munity offers more than a profitable market for the product. Such an at- mosphere insures more contented, dedicated, and productive employees. Consequently, telephone people are often found occupying key leadership 96 Maaison New ana Mary Eunice Jones listen to Jack Brinkley. roles in community and area-wide civic, charitable service, and church organiza- tions. However, the nature of the business recommends low visibility in political affairs. As is true with most established rules there have been some exceptions. The late W. M. New, one- time owner and operator of the Thomaston Telephone system, served in the house chamber of the Georgia General Assembly. Glenn Bryant, chief stockholder and chairman of the board of the Coastal Telephone Company of Hinesville, is currently serving in the senate chamber of the Georgia Legislature. The late Jim Peters, one- time joint owner of the Mutual Telephone Company of Manchester, served for a protracted period as statewide chairman of the democratic party and was for many years the popular chairman of the Georgia State Board of Education. Members such as these have brought pride to the association. GTA is now an essential organ of the Georgia independent telephone in- dustry. Active participation, common goals and stubborn persistence were the prerequisites that anchored the GTA and framed the bonds of unity that would preserve it as the arms of tele- phony reach over the state of Georgia. Georgia telephony in 1987 is still adapting to deregulation, growth, and Danny Bryant and Charlie Joe Mathews visit with USITA president-speaker at the convention. Former GTA President, Gene Blanton, welcomes Public Service Commissioner Ben Wiggins to the podium. changing technology. Joint efforts and the oneness of association membership provide optimum resource advantages. This unity is reinforced each year as company representatives are able to pro- fit from attending program and receiv- ing information designed around over- coming obstacles to progress. Paramount among the aspects of membership in GTA is the opportunity to attend the conventions. These gather- ings are held annually and usually meet at a popular location within the state of Georgia. For a short time GTA and the 97 1980Tom Johnson, outgoing GTA president, presents the gavel and congratulations to Jackie Tomlin, Brantley Telephone Company. South Carolina Telephone Association (SCTA) met Jointly, thus offering each association a larger selection of conven- tion locationsalternating from Georgia to South Carolina every other year. While this was a very popular concept, it was short-lived simply because of the logistics. GTA members like to believe that Georgia conventions compare favorably with their counterparts across the coun- try. These two to three day meetings are a successful means of keeping the par- ticipants and members abreast of the latest information available in the in- dustry. Frequenting the educational con- ferences are distinguished represen- tatives of government, REA, AT&T, Bell companies, other telephone companies, USTA and the Georgia Public Service Commission, as well as popular political figures. After the program curriculum is adjourned, there often are long, plea- sant dinners among good friends. These friendships form a bond of kinship among the telephone family of Georgia. GEORGIA ZJelepkone cA^^iation SUITE 8 1900 CENTURY BLVD., ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30345 (404) 321-5440 May 14, 1987 Charles H. Lindsey Dear Georgia Telephone Association Members: Thank you for allowing me, Charles H. Lindsey, to serve as Executive Vice President of the Georgia Telephone Association from February 1975 until July 1987. I have enjoyed being of service and the friendships I have established. My first official function was The Annual Bird Supper which we have seen grow to be one of the events most looked forward to by our legislators. Participation by companies and state officials has been great. We have even had a presidential candidate have supper with us. Our conventions have been a highlight of each year. We have had excellent speakers each year and entertainment has been outstanding. We even had a performer who won an award for his songs on the country music award show. Our suppliers, associates, have always contributed much to the success of each convention. The association has collectively taken part in several generic hearings at the Public Service Commission and have had a very good relationship with commissioners and staff. Increase in depreciation, inside wiring, and customerowned eguipment have been major areas of concern and hard work by committees. Divestiture certainly got our attention and caused many, many meetings both with Bell, AT&T, and the Public Service Commission. We have been most fortunate to have had the services of an outstanding attorney to help us over the hard spots. Freeman Leverett has done the association a great job. The officers and committees have worked with great fervor and the association has made many strides forward over the past years. Thanks for your hard work and dedication. Good wishes for each member in the future. Sincerely, Charles H. Lindsey 1 98 No record has been found of dates and locations of GTA conventions prior to the year 1944. We include this information for possible memories that might be stirred of happy times spent with GTA friends and for Georgia telephone company operators to see how many they remember attending. 1944 Unknown Henry Grady Hotel, Atlanta 1945 Nov. 22-23 General Oglethorpe, Wilmington Island, Savannah 1946 Unknown General Oglethorpe, Wilmington Island, Savannah 1947 Nov. 10-11 Henry Grady Hotel, Atlanta 1948 Nov. 15-16 Henry Grady Hotel, Atlanta 1949 Nov. 14-15 Henry Grady Hotel, Atlanta 1950 Nov. 9-10 Dempsey Hotel, Macon 1951 Nov. 8-9 Dempsey Hotel, Macon 1952 Oct. 27-28 Henry Grady Hotel, Atlanta 1953 Nov. 16-17 Henry Grady Hotel, Atlanta 1954 Nov. 12-13 Bon Air Hotel, Augusta 1955 Nov. 17-18 DeSoto Hotel, Savannah 1956 Nov. 15-17 Bon Air Hotel, Augusta 1957 Unknown General Oglethorpe, Savannah 1958 Unknown General Oglethorpe, Savannah 1959 Nov. 11-12 Dinkier Plaza, Atlanta 1960 Nov. 9-10 Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta 1961 Sept. 14-15 Corsair Motel, Jekyll Island 1962 Sept. 13-14 Corsair Motel, Jekyll Island 1963 Sept. 11-13 Atlanta Biltmore Hotel, Atlanta 1964 Nov. 4-5 Atlanta Americana Hotel, Atlanta 1965 Sept. 9-10 Stuckeys Carriage Inn, Jekyll Island 1966 Sept. 7-9 Atlanta Marriott, Atlanta 1967 Oct. 21-25 SS AriadneConvention Cruise 1968 Oct. 9-11 Regency Hyatt House, Atlanta 1969 Sept. 17-20 Savannah Inn & Country Club, Savannah 1970 Sept. 9-12 Marriott Motor Hotel, Atlanta 1971 Sept. 15-18 DeSoto Hilton Hotel, Savannah 1972 May 24-27 Marriott Motor Hotel, Atlanta 1973 June 5-8 Miljs Hyatt House, Charleston, S.C. 1974 June 12-14 DeSoto Hilton Hotel, Savannah 1975 Apr. 20-23 Myrtle Beach Hilton, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 1976 June 13-15 Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta 1977 June 14-16 Holiday Inn, Jekyll Island 1978 June 11-13 DeSoto Hilton Hotel, Savannah 1979 June 10-12 Stouffers Pinelsle, Lake Lanier 1980 June 15-17 Holiday Inn, Jekyll Island 1981 June 17-19 Savannah Inn & Country Club, Savannah 1982 June 16-18 Atlanta Marriott, Atlanta 1983 June 15-17 Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida 1984 June 13-15 Stouffers Pinelsle Resort, Lake Lanier Islands, Buford 1985 June 23-25 Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain 1986 June 18-20 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Savannah 1987 June 21-24 Holiday Inn, Jekyll Island 99 100 102 Associate Members The cost of printing this publication was further offset by: Peach State Chapter Independent Telephone Pioneers of America The Georgia Telephone Association has long been closely intertwined with companies which manufacture and sell telephone equipment or services to the telephone industry. In Georgia we have been richly blessed with some of the finest, nicest people who fall into the associate membership category. Some of them have been as much a part of our organization and our bistory as company owners and operators. The following associate members of the Georgia Telephone Association have given financial support to this publication. ADC Telecommunication, Inc. ALLTEL Supply, Inc. Arthur Andersen & Co. Associate Members Committee AT&T Communications CMC Telecom Corporation CONTEL TEXOCOM Engineering Associates, Inc. Fail Engineering Company, Inc. GTE Directories Corporation GTE Supply Jackson, Phillips, & Casto 3M/Telecom Products Division McCall-Thomas Engineering Co., Inc. Miller & Young Northern Telecom, Inc. Northern Telecom, Inc. (Cook Electric Division) Power & Telephone Supply Company, Inc. R-TEC Systems Teledata Corporation United States Technologies, Inc. U. S. Intelco Networks, Inc. Webb Communications, Inc. Above: (L-R) Ruth Smith, Ed Burney, Tommy Smith, John Sims, Ham Foster. Below: Ed Burney, Donna and Sammy Warren. Bob Bruce, Jim Pounds. The GTA Board of Directors in recognition of the important contributions made by the men and women who have unselfishly served as presidents of the association have appropriately elected to dedicate this history to the following individuals. 1919 1923 1928-1932 1933-1944 1945- 1946 1946- 1947 1947- 1948 1948- 1949 1949- 1950 1950- 1951 1952- 1953 1953- 1954 1955-1956 Georgia Telephone Association Past Presidents R. L. Stewart W. R. Bowen W. R. Bowen W. M. New J. E. Kirk A. F. Fincher, Jr. A. M. New A. C. Seward W. C. Martin E. P. Burney H. M. Stewart J. H. Wright John Birchmore 1957-1958 1959- 1960 1960- 1961 1961- 1962 1962- 1963 1963- 1964 1965-1966 1967- 1968 1968- 1969 1969- 1970 1970- 1971 1971- 1973 1973-1974 Downing Musgrove Charlie Joe Mathews J. P. Gleaton Jim Evitt Glenn E. Bryant Cam B. Lanier, Jr. W. M. Jennings, Jr. Madison New Joseph R. Dyson Dean C. Swanson Cam B. Lanier, Jr. Art W. Barnes H. M. Stewart, Jr. 1974- 1975 1975- 1976 1976- 1977 1977- 1978 1978- 1979 1979- 1980 1980- 1981 1981- 1982 1982- 1983 1983- 1984 1984- 1985 1985- 1986 1986- 1987 Don E. Bond Fred L. Bailey Gene Blanton W. C. DeLoach Daniel M. Bryant Thomas L. Johnson Jackie Tumlin H. C. Hearn, Jr. Frances V. Barnes Fred W. Hodges Tommy Smith Betty Gleaton George Carswell Seated: A. L. New. Standing: (L-R) Bill Bryan Sou. BellMacon Dist. Mgr., Geo. MasakEng, Sou. Div.Stormberg Carlson, Lane HubbardSou. Bell Ga. Mgr., Claude YalesSou. BellComm. Mgr., H. M. StewartStandard Tel. Co., Moon" Mollands Stromberg-Carson, Stromberg CarlsonMfg. Representative 105 GEORGIA TELEPHONE ASSOCIATION 1986-1987 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Officers PRESIDENT George CarswellWilkinson County Telephone Company, Inc. FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Mary Eunice JonesWaverly Hall Telephone Company SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Sid LintonGeneral Telephone of the South TREASURER Fred HodgesBulloch Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Planters Telephone Cooperative SECRETARY Dean SwansonStandard Telephone Company EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Charles H. Lindsey Directors George CarswellWilkinson County Telephone Company, Inc. Mary Eunice JonesWaverly Hall Telephone Company Sid LintonGeneral Telephone Company of the South Fred HodgesBulloch/Planters Telephone Cooperative Dean SwansonStandard Telephone Company Betty GleatonPlant Telephone and Power Company, Inc. Don PartinContinental Telephone Company of the South Steve MaginnisALLTEL Georgia, Inc. Danny BryantCoastal Utilities, Inc. Frances BarnesChickamauga Telephone Corporation Ed MullisProgressive Rural Telephone Co-op, Inc. Bill TatumTrenton Telephone Company Robert LetcherPembroke Telephone Company, Inc. Cam Lanier, IIIInterstate Telephone Company Don BondPublic Service Telephone Company Jack BartonHart County Telephone Company Rodney WebbWalker County Telephone Company Charles DeLoachGeorgia Telephone Corporation 106 A A. "Go by Phone" car tags were very popular with GTA members in early 1970s. B. (L-R) Charles Deloach and Dennis Lewis. C. Jack Barton, president Hart County Telephone Company. D. Kathy White added smiles, zest and efficiency to the GTA staff for a few years. E. & F. Leon B. Adams (1914-1982)Purchased Glenwood Telephone Company in 1943, daughter Janice OBrien now operates company. G. (L-R) Ed and Catheran Burney, Sarah and John Sims. LOWEST FARE TO ANYWHERE H. Charles Lindsey at the helm. I. Swinging and swaying with John Sims. J. Say "Cheese. K. The Searsons at GTA dinner. L. Registration desk-48th annual GTA convention. M. Former GTA President Fred Bailey at podium, Mitch Drew in foreground. ' r, 108 N N. Tommy Smith telling it like it is to Danny Sterling, Fred Bailey and Madison New. O. Mr. and Mrs. Jim Callaham departing the U.S.S. Ariadne. This was the only GTA convention to be held on a cruise ship. P. Ladies Night Out GTA convention, Bon Air Hotel, Augusta, GeorgiaCatheran Burney and Mrs. Clark, Walker County Telephone Company. Q. Mitch and Ann Drew visit with Mrs. Bishop and Donna Warren. R. Outstanding pioneer Talmadge Brazel pinning on GTA name tags. P Q R 109 S. (L-R) Kay Swanson, Mrs. Callaham, Beverlyn Bond with back to camera. (Sidney Lanier behind Kay.) T. Georgia Aqrirama, Tifton, Georgia (L-R) Forb Spinks, GPSCBetty Gleaton, Pres. Plant Telephone Company- Buddy Langley, GTE, U. Wilbur Council, Jack Brinkley, Don Bond. V. Congressman Bo Ginn second from left, Danny Bryant and Ben Bennett looking on. INDEPENDENT TELEPHONE PIONEER ASSOCIATION Telephone Pioneers of America In 1911, the nations first pioneer telephone association, Telephone Pioneers of America, was created within the Bell Telephone Company. This na- tional civic and social organization has reached immeasureable heights in ser- vice to mankind. The bylaws of this association limited membership to peo- ple having 21 years of service within the Bell system. This has since been reduc- ed to 18 years of service. Four presidents of this prestigious pioneer organiztion have risen from the ranks of the Southern Bell Company. (L-R) Earl Kidd, Harry White, Rodney WebbEarl ana Harry have been among the 'corner- stones" of ITPA in Georgia. Independent Telephone Pioneer Association The Independent Telephone Pioneer Association (ITPA) is a national non- profit service organization within the in- dustry. A small group of independent telephone pioneers founded the organization in 1920 in Chicago, Illinois. At the organizational meeting the pur- poses of the group were set down and the qualifications for membership were fixed at 15 years in the telephone or telephone-related industry. Although it has been debated a number of times, this time stipulation still remains. At that first Chicago meeting. Hart F. Farwell was elected to serve as president of the nations first Independent Telephone Pioneer Association. B. Y. Chambers, of Moultrie, was elected as one of 33 found- ing regional vice presidents designated from all over the United States. ITPA is held in high esteem as it represents the pilgrimage of the telephone industry. It has become one of the largest and finest philanthropic groups of its kind in the world. The organization embodies the ideas and traditions that should be preserved in the industry. (The historical committee headed by Pioneer Joseph M. Keating is encouraging an all out effort for every state association to prepare a thorough and permanent record of its history.) The philosophy and goals of the organization had a special appeal that caused membership to soar. This mushrooming growth required the organization to sub-divide into state clubs and then into individual chapters within the states. Representatives of the components of the organization collect themselves at the USTA convention in an annual pioneer event that has become a highlight of the USTA convention. In Encased old wooden wall phone preserved and displayed by Dixie Pioneer Club. 114 recent years these pioneer events includ- ed a concert by the Boston Pops and a performance by comedian George Burns. In addition to the local chapter and state projects, the organization also takes on an annual project. What bet- ter way for the telephone industry to reach out and touch someone? Charitable and generous efforts by pioneer clubs and individuals cannot be exaggerated. Between Bell and the in- dependent companies, literally thousands of pioneer projects are in the works over the United States at any given time. The ten Peach State clubs are active and have completed a long list of charitable projects within our state. It can be fairly stated that the pioneer members and clubs are the pride of Georgia telephony. Hall of Fame The independent telephone Hall of Fame was established in 1964 to iden- tify and honor those individuals who merit recognition for their outstanding accomplishments and service to the in- dependent telephone industry. The ITPA Honors Committee is responsible for receiving nominations to the Hall of Fame and for selecting and placing in nomination qualified can- didates. Election is made by secret ballot by the Honors Court, which consists of 25 members appointed by the president of ITPA. To be elected to the Hall of Fame, a candidate must receive a favorable vote from at least 19 of the 25 committee members. H. M. Stewart was elected to the National ITPA Hall of Fame in 1983. PEACH STATE CHAPTER The Peach State Chapter of the ITPA was organized in the state of Georgia when H. M. Stewart of Standard Telephone Company, Cornelia, Georgia and 49 others petitioned the national organization for permission to charter in August, 1970. The following names appeared as charter members of the organization: Hugh E. Allen Joseph Arich, Jr. Talmadge T. Brazel Hardy J. Bush Charles D. Case James T. Casper William B. Cox Benjamin F. Dixon Daisy B. Dunn Jim Evitt, Jr. John A. Farrar, Jr. W. H. Foster, Jr. T. Evans Gates Delores F. Giddens J. P. Gleaton Rex Goss Dominick J. Grandinatti Jo-Ann B. Griffin Joseph E. Harris H. C. Hearn, Jr. Mary R. Hopkins Jimmie R. Hunter Delma Clarence Jackson Faye R. Jones H. M. Stewart Sr. (L) receives a plaque from M. Wilson Garnette to commemorate Mr. Stewart's election into the ITPA Hall of Fame on Peach State Hall of Famer October 16, 1983. Avery Strickland1985. Earl D. Kidd Milo R. Kingsbury Mrs. Billie J. Lain Mary B. Little W. L. Mollands W. Madison New Charles W. Oberleitner Attica J. Powell L. Kenneth Powley Mrs. Zelma B. Rash Mrs. Ferril Schuler Daniel T. Shearer Albert N. Seward Virginia E. Shoffner Clay F. Bidwell Aubrey E. Sikes, Sr. William C. Stanley 115 H. M. Stewart R. H. Stone Alvin C. Stratton Hugh D. Suggs Frank Veal Winifred D. Waller Garvice G. Wells J. Frances Whaley Mrs. Mary Carter Wilson Bryon D. Godbee William R. Payne Mary V. Spooner Mrs. Lilliam C. Taylor Harry L. Turner Under the leadership and planning of Mr. Stewart, the first annual meeting was held at the Marriott Motel, Atlanta, Georgia, on September 10, 1976. The following charter officers and directors were presented by James Gleaton, Tifton, Georgia, chairman of the nominating committee, and elected. Ed Burney inducted into the Peach State Chapter Hall of Fame. Charter Officers President, Earl D. KiddMetter, Georgia Vice President, W. B. CoxCornelia, Georiga Secretary/Treasurer, Charles W. OberleitnerMoultrie, Georgia Directors C. J. MathewsStatesboro, Georgia Dan ShearerSylvania, Georgia John SimsAtlanta, Georgia Ron BeattyMoultrie, Georgia Earl KiddMetter, Georgia Harry White41bany, Georgia W. B. CoxCornelia, Georgia Charles W. OberleitnerMoultrie, Georgia Roy OsborneClaxton, Georgia Director Emeritus H. M. StewartCornelia, Georgia State chapters also recognize tele- phone pioneers by awarding the Hall of Fame distinction to outstanding in- dividuals within the state organization. Peach State Chapter Hall of Fame Members H.M. Stewart, Sr. 1978 Edward P. Burney 1981 James L. Kirk 1982 George Rose 1984 Glenn E. Bryant 1984 James E. Evitt, Sr. 1984 Earl D. Kidd 1984 Avery Strickland 1985 Henry Davis 1986 Jim Berry 1986 Earl Kidd, inducted into the Peach State Chapter Hall of Fame June 14, 1984, 116 Above Left: Doris Stephens and Ronald Beatty, key organizer of the Pinetree Pioneer Club, hold framing acknowledging club's charter members. Above: (L-R) Jimmy Berry. CONTELAlbert Harrison, EllijayRonald Beatty, GENTELDoris Stephens. Standardhappy to have Pine Tree Club in Peach State Chapter. Below: Dean Swanson, president, Standard Telephone Company, making presentation to national ITPA President Doris Stephens for outstanding performance. National IPTA President Jack LeMaster and ITPA Vice President Frank Barnes presented the charter to Mr. Kidd, who in turn presented it to Mr. Stewart, in recognition of his leader- ship in forming the organization. The following Peach State Chapter Pioneer Clubs have been formed and are presently active in the state of Georgia. Key Organizer Doris Stephens David Spell Roger Vickens Edward Daymans Ronald Beatty Roger Hester Jim Berry Mary Searson Bill Ford Jean Mize The men and women who make up the Peach State Chapter wear a badge of honor in the telephone industry. Each individual club has distinguished itself by unselfishly giving to club projects that benefit those less fortunate and by bring- ing unexpected pleasures to the often neglected. A Bouquet for Doris Stephens In 1985 Doris Stephens of Standard Telephone Company, Cornelia, rose to a hallmark that no other Georgian has attained when she accepted the gavel to become the ITPA president. She serv- ed the national independent telephone pioneer association with the wealth of kindness, warmth and sincerity that is hers. In doing so she brought honor to the Peach State Chapter and especially to the H. M. Stewart, Sr. Pioneer Club. Company H. M. Stewart, Sr. Pioneer Club North Georgia Pioneer Club H. W. Tuttle Pioneer Club Coastal Empire Pioneer Club Pinetree Pioneer Club Lookout Mountain Pioneer Club Contel Pioneers of Georgia Dixieland Pioneer Club Charles Wohlstetter Pioneer Club Unity Pioneer Club Date Chartered 2/22/74 10/76 11/76 7/01/78 8/79 5/02/83 6/28/85 9/06/85 6/01/86 6/26/86 117 Peach State Chapter Past Presidents 1970-72 1972-74 1974 1974- 75 1975- 76 1976- 77 1977- 78 1978- 79 Earl Kidd Dan Shearer Carl Anderson San Shawhan Doris Stephens Albert Harrison Ronald Beatty Earl Phillips 1979-81 1981- 82 1982- 83 1983- 84 1984- 85 1985- 86 1986- 87 David Spell Edward Haymans Bill Ford Harry White Harry Davis Earl Kidd Talmadge Brazel Peach State Chapter ITPA Board of Directors 1986-1987 Ronald AllenUnity Pioneer ClubALLTEL Jim BerryCONTEL Pioneers of GeorgiaCONTEL Talmadge BrazelPinetree Pioneer Club(Retired) GTE John BuntingNorthern Telecom Harry DavisLookout Mountain Pioneer ClubDa Tel Fibernet, Inc. Bill FordCONTEL Pioneers of GeorgiaCONTEL John GulichCoastal Empire Pioneer Club(Retired) Coastal Utilities Earl KiddLookout Mountain Pioneer ClubWalker County Telephone Company John LongCoastal Empire Pioneer ClubCoastal Utilities Richard MartinH. M. Stewart, Sr. Pioneer ClubStandard Telephone Company Jack MayfieldCONTEL Pioneers of GeorgiaCONTEL Fred McGeheeCharles Wohlstetter Pioneer ClubCONTEL Mary SearsonDixieland Pioneer Club(Retired) Pineland Telephone Co-op Doris StephensH. M. Stewart, Sr. Pioneer ClubStandard Telephone Company Harry WhiteNorthern Telecom H. M. Stewart, Sr.H. M. Stewart, Sr. Pioneer ClubStandard Telephone Company Peach State Chapter ITPA Officers 1986-1987 Talmadge BrazelPresident Jim BerryVice President and Secretary/Treasurer 118 The following histories were submit- ted by the respective individucJ com- panies. Thanks seems like such a small word to express gratitude for the countless hours that have been devoted to the many contributions in this effort. It was with that saime devotion that the contributions were reworked, edited and used further in the text to achieve a desired level of reader acceptance while retaining a basic factual credibility. Our desire is that with the multiformity of narrative we have painted an accurate picture of telephony in Georgia and that we have represented the companies in a manner that is pleasing. Part Five GEORGIA TELEPHONE SYSTEM miles 122 GEORGIA TELEPHONE SYSTEM INDEX Number Name of Company Headquarters Page AT&T............................................................Atlanta, Georgia 124 1 Alltel Corporation.............................................Commerce, Georgia 128 2 Alma Telephone Company, Inc........................................Alma, Georgia 130 3 Blue Ridge Telephone Company.................................Blue Ridge, Georgia 131 4 Brantley Telephone Company, Inc...............,...............Nahunta, Georgia 132 5 Bulloch County Rural Telephone Coop., Inc....................Statesboro, Georgia 133 6 Camden Telephone and Telegraph Company, Inc...................St. Marys, Georgia 134 7 Chickamauga Telephone Corporation...........................Chickamauga, Georgia 136 8 Citizens Telephone Compamy, Inc..................................Leslie, Georgia 139 9 Coastal Utilities, Inc.......................................Hinesville, Georgia 143 10 Continental Telephone Company of the South (CONTEL)..........Glennville, Georgia 145 11 Darien Telephone Gompany, Inc....................................Darien, Georgia 147 12 Ellijay Telephone Company.......................................Ellijay, Georgia 148 13 Empire Telephone Company (ALLTEL CORP.)...........................Comer, Georgia 150 14 Fairmount Telephone Company, Inc..............................Fairmount, Georgia 152 15 General Telephone Company of the Southeast.....................Moultrie, Georgia 153 16 Georgia Telephone Corporation...................................Blakely, Georgia 157 17 Glen wood Telephone Company....................................Glenwood, Georgia 158 18 Hart County Telephone Company..................................Hartwell, Georgia 159 19 Hawkinsville Telephone Company.............................Hawkinsville, Georgia 161 20 Interstate Telephone Company.................................West Point, Georgia 162 21 Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company.............................Nelson, Georgia 164 22 Pembroke Telephone Company, Inc................................Pembroke, Georgia 166 23 Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc..............................Metter, Georgia 167 24 Plant Telephone and Power Company................................Tifton, Georgia 169 25 Planters Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc.....................Nr''ngton, Georgia 174 26 Progressive Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc..................... Rentz, Georgia 175 27 Public Service Telephone Company...............................Reynolds, Georgia 176 28 Quincy Telephone Company (TDS CORP)..............................Quincy, Georgia 179 29 Ringgold Telephone Company.....................................Ringgold, Georgia 183 30 Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company...................Atlanta, Georgia 185 31 St. Joseph Telephone and Telegraph Company.........Port St. Joe, Florida 190 32 Standard Telephone Company.....................................Cornelia, Georgia 191 33 Statesboro Telephone Company.................................Statesboro, Georgia 197 34 Trenton Telephone Company.......................................Trenton, Georgia 199 35 Walker County Telephone Company...............................Lafayette, Georgia 200 36 Waverly Hall Telephone Company, Inc......................Waverly Hall, Georgia 205 37 Wilkes Telephone and Electric Company........................Washington, Georgia 206 38 Wilkinson Gounty Telephone Company, Inc........................Irwinton, Georgia 207 123 Alexander Graham Bell at the New York end of the circuit to Chicago. This line was opened in 1892 as part of the ceremonies incidental to the Columbian Exposition. Little man with black mustache at lefteditor. Cassiers Magazine, to right of him, beard and glassesRalph W.Pope, directly above Bell, bushy beardJohn E. Hudson, hand on chair, looking downE. J. Hall, Jr,, behind HallWilliam A. Hovey. History AT&T In Georgia AT&T has long been proud to be a part of Georgia telephony, and Georgia has played an important role in AT&Ts history as well. In 1915, while vacationing on Georgias Jekyll Island, AT&T President Theodore N. Vail attended and par- ticipated in a ceremony marking the opening of the first transcontinental telephone line. Alexander Graham Bell held forth in New York, while Thomas Watson provided the link across the country, in San Francisco. Ever since, telecommunications has been a linchpin on which Georgias diversified economy has evolved. Shortly after Bell invented the telephone in 1876, individual telephone exchanges began operating in larger cities in Georgia and around the coun- try. And, as interest in the amazing new talking machine took hold, the structure of the company that would make univer- sal telephone service a reality began to unfold. The Bell Telephone Company was in- corporated in Boston in August, 1877, to look over the telephones interests. A couple of years later it was reorganiz- ed as the National Bell Telephone Com- pany, and then again as the American Bell Telephone Company (ABTC). In 1881-1882, the ABTC bought controll- ing interest in the Western Electric Manufacturing Company of Chicago, thus establishing the companys manufacturing arm. By 1885, telephone users were dissatisfied with the ability only to call within their own exchange. To meet the demand, ABTC formed a subsidiary, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, to provide toll service. This company, better capitalized than its parent, in 1899 became the parent corn- 124 pany of the Bell system. The long distance company became Long Lines. About this time the design of the familiar blue bell AT&T symbol first appeared. Growth continued at a remarkable pace for the Bell telephone companies that were owned by AT&T and by the independent telephone companies that were established after the original Bell telephone patents expired in 1892. During the first decades of this century, AT&Ts Bell telephone companies con- tinued to expand their local exchanges as its Long Lines division opened new long distance cable lines. The Bell associated companies were consolidated into state or regional organizations about this time. Southern Bell assum- ed its present serving territory in 1926, (South Central Bell was split off in 1969). And, in 1925, Bell Telephone Laboratories became an official, and crucial, member of the Bell System. The organization, the mission and the philosophy that would guide AT&T for the next 60 years was in place. Years of Expansion The giddy decade of the 1920s brought more customers, better service, improved transmission and lower prices. Hardships followed in the Great Depres- sion of the 1930s. Still, the Bell Systems continuity was undiminished during both boom and bust. World War II tested the Bell Systems organizational ability to the utmost as the company directed all available strategic materials like copper to sup- port the war effort. Civilian service was put on hold, creating a terrific demand that bubbled over after the war. By the 50s, AT&T represented much more than just POTS (plain old telephone service). The company had been involved in numerous radio and television firsts, even applying its technological expertise to early talking pictures. Some Georgia Firsts The advent of national television brought a new challenge to AT&T. In 1954, Long Lines carried color TV signals to 95 stations in 65 cities, in- cluding Atlanta. By 1955, Long Lines was carrying the Masters live from Augusta National Golf Club. It would continue to be an annual sports highlight, but not until 1966 was it broadcast in glorious, Georgia color. Early in 1955, the Long Lines testroom The Real ThingHistoric painting shows Jacobs Pharmacy as it appeared in midtown Atlanta more than 100 years. Tracks in front of the store were for horse-drawn streetcars, an early version of MARTA. Note strands of open copper wire on poles, which provided local and long-distance service for the city. Early line construction, AT&T employees. on Ivy Street in Atlanta became one of three TV control centers in the nation. Also in the 50s, radio-relay routes began supplementing underground cable. November, 1953, found AT&T opening a major 400-mile radio route between Atlanta and Jackson, Mississippi. AT&T has introduced a number of new technologies in Georgia. In April, 1954, AT&T installed a new transistoriz- ed rural carrier system with a trial repeater at Americus. In this first ap- plication of a technology developed by the U. S. Bureau of Standards, transistor amplifiers were mounted on a plastic card and connected by lines of conduc- ting material printed on the surface of the card. Americus was the site of another trial of new technology in 1955. Here, AT&T introduced tone ringing, where the ring came from the phone receiver in- stead of a bell. And later that fall was the first trial of a Bell solar battery for a carrier system. Sophisticated new technology bring- ing expanded services for consumers and industry continued to be deployed in Georgia in the 1960s as the state began attracting more and more business. The Souths emergence as an important commercial center was con- firmed in 1969, when Atlanta hosted AT&Ts 84th meeting, only the sixth to be held outside New York City. One-Onc-Eighty-Four Development of technology and ex- pansion of markets, however, did not guarantee AT&Ts success. The 1950s found AT&T embroiled in legal battles. In 1949, the U.S. Attorney General fil- ed suit against AT&T, alleging violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and ask- ing that Western Electric be separated from the Bell System. This suit was ter- minated by a consent decree seven years later. Under the decree, AT&T was limited to common carrier communications and government projects and retained its structure of manufacturing, research and operating units. By the 1970s, the size and market power of AT&T had again come under scrutiny by the U.S. government. The Department of Justice (DOJ), in 1974, filed an antitrust suit against AT&T, once again seeking the separation of Western Electric, some or all of Long Lines and perhaps other parts of the Bell System. The tide of public opinion had determined big is bad; the vertical- ly integrated system that had created the finest telecommunications service in the world no longer was perceived as in the publics interest. After almost 10 years of costly legal battles, AT&T and the DOJ in 1982 an- nounced a settlement: AT&T would divest itself of its local telephone opera- tions (the Bell name, too), and at the same time be free of the constraints of the 1956 Consent Decree. For the next two years, the worlds largest business enterprise was taken apart and reshaped into separate and independent organiza- tions. A new, more compact, AT&T emerged on January 1, 1984. Even before that, however, AT&Ts structure had begun to change. In January, 1983, American Bell, Inc., a ful- ly separated subsidiary, went into business to sell customer premises equipment and enhanced telecom- munications services. The subsidiary was required by a landmark 1980 FCC deci- sion known as Computer Inquiry II. A Vital Partner Today, AT&T people and technology are a vital part of the state economy. Long distance switching machines two 4ESS systems in Atlanta, a lESS machine in Savannah and switches in Columbus and Maconhandle nearly 5.5 billion switched minutes annually. InterLATA message trunks number 36,654. Atlanta is home for Remote Work Centers for the surveillance, control and analysis of regional ESS machines and TSPS systems for operator-assisted calls. AT&T telephone operators serve customers from Macon, Athens, Albany, Savannah, Norcross, Smyrna and Atlanta. A Regional Network Operations Center in Atlanta provides monitoring and control of the public switched net- work for the Southeast, working in con- cert with a national center in New Jersey and other regional command posts. From here, skilled application of con- trols can minimize network overload and service delays. Facilities such as radio relay towers, T-Carrier, lightguide, repeater stations and satellite earth stations (such as one in Woodbury, Georgia) are monitored It took many men to hoist a pole heavy with crossarms. and maintained from AT&Ts Facility Management and Administration Center in Conyers. The Atlanta Works, part of AT&Ts Network Systems group, is the worlds largest facility for developing and manufacturing fiber optic communica- tions cable and wire products. A lightwave cable manufactured here, only half an inch in diameter and containing 144 glass fibers, can carry more than 400,000 simultaneous telephone conver- sations. Some 3,700 people work at this facility. Technical research and support for the Atlanta Works is provided by the transmission media laboratory of AT&T Bell Labs in Atlanta. Not only is Georgia home to the largest plant turning out lightwave cableit also was the site, in 1980, of the first standard commerical lightguide system installation. Today, AT&Ts 15,000 Georgia employees represent a full range of ex- pertise in the areas of engineering, marketing, equipment installation and maintenance, data processing, manufac- turing and customer service. Through their skill and commitment to excellence, AT&T will continue to serve the Peach State well, today and into the 21st Century. AT&T employee Harry Dzikowski operates a lathe on which special glass preforms are fabricated for use in drawing fibers for light guide cable. wcium ALLTEL Georgia, Inc. ALLTEL Georgia, Inc. is currently divided into four districts; the fourth, Empire Telephone Company, having been added on Januairy 1, 1986. Com- merce District includes Braselton, Com- merce, Homer, Jefferson, Maysville, Nicholson and Pendergrass exchanges. Byron District includes Byron and Centerville exchanges, and Cairo District includes Cairo and Calvary-Reno ex- changes. Empire is the fourth district to be added (to ALLTEL Georgia, Inc.), consisting of Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Danielsville, Ila, Lexington, Maxeys, Union Point, White Plains and Winter- ville exchanges. The following story ex- plains how severed operating telephone companies were started and combined to form ALLTEL Georgias current operating areas. The Harmony Grove Telephone Com- pany was organized in August of 1895 by W.E. Hardman, L.G. Hardman, and W.T. Thurmond. The original service area of the company was the small northeast Georgia community of Harmony Grove. Also organized in 1895 was the Jef- ferson Telephone and Telegraph Com- pany. Those responsible for its organiza- tion included: H. W. Bell, F. L. Pendergrass, E. C. Armisted, J. N. Holder, J. E. Randolph. J. B. Pendergrass, and J. C. Turner. In 1904, the Harmony Grove Telephone Com- pany and the Jefferson Telephone and Telegraph Company were incorporated by the state of Georgia as the Harmony Grove Telephone Company. Telephone service in the Harmony Grove and Jefferson areas was provid- ed by a magneto switchboard that was installed in one of the buildings owned by L. G. Hardman. Soon after the com- panys incorporation, toll lines were built to Athens, Gainesville, Winder, and Gillsville. In 1917, the community of Harmony Grove was renamed Commerce. On February 27, 1917, the board of direc- tors of the Harmony Grove Telephone Company voted to change the name of the company to the Commerce Telephone Company. Directors named at this meeting included: W. B. Hard- man, J. C. Turner, L. G. Hardman, and W. A. Echols. Echols had served as manager, plant superintendent, and cen- tral office repairman between 1901 and 1917. Records show that W. B. Hard- man was the first president of the com- pany and remained so until his death in 1918. W. B. Hardman was succeeded by Dr. L. G. Hardman, past governor of Georgia, who died in 1937. John Hard- man was named as Dr. Hardmans suc- cessor and was followed by J. Luke Davis as president of the company. Following J. Luke Davis presidency of the company, W. L. New, formerly with the Thomaston Telephone Com- pany, purchased all the stock of the Commerce Telephone Company. In February, 1949, New assumed complete control of the corporation. The Com- merce Telephone Company was in the hands of the New family for a number of years. During this period, family members were active in the Georgia Telephone Association serving on the board of directors and as officers. In 1952, the company converted its Commerce exchange from the magneto battery system to dial and erected a new, modem telephone office on Central Avenue in downtown Commerce. Due to the rapid growth of Jackson County, a loan was secured in 1955 to enlarge the entire system. New office buildings were built in Commerce, Jefferson, Homer, Braselton, and Maysville, and all were changed to the dial system. During 1962, the Commerce Telephone Company established its Commerce. Georgia- First Service Awards Dinner (about 1968). L to R: Vernon Manders, Charles White, Thomas L. Johnson, Mae Standridge Young. Al Mix. Seated are the corporate personnel manaaer and Grant New. 128 Pendergrass and Nicholson exchanges bringing the total number of exchanges to seven. The company continued to grow throughout the late 1960s. On January 5,1968, a called meeting of the board of directors of the Com- merce Telephone Company considered Mid-Continent Telephone Corporations official proposal for the merger of the company with Mid-Continent. The board unanimously voted to accept Mid- Continents offer. In June, 1968, the acquisition of the Commerce Telephone Company was completed. Mr. Thomas L. Johnson was named president. On January 9, 1971, the Commerce Telephone Company went to direct distance dialing (ODD). In October, 1978, the Byron Telephone Company and the Cairo Telephone Company were merged with Commerce Telephone Company, and the entity was renamed Mid-Georgia Telephone Below: Downtown Com- merce Restaurant (toll room located upstairs). A retired employee, L. G. Pace, is one of the men on the pole. Former Jefferson, Ga. Business Office. Retired, chief operator Hortense Benton on left. William L, (Bill) New, Jr., former business office manager, on right. Commerce Toll Board. Pictured are Hortense Benton, retired chief operator: Shirley Hall; Virginia Parker, framer; Linda Brake; and Justine Minish. holding companies with telephone operating subsidiaries in 19 mid-western, eastern, and southern states serving 1.2 million telephones with 860,000 customer lines. The company serves a variety of non-regulated markets nation- wide through its wholesale equipment distribution and business communica- tions systems marketing operations. ALLTEL also provides international consulting services and has interests in fiber optic and satellite communications systems, cellular mobile telephone ser- vice, and wide-area paging. Heading up ALLTEL Georgia, Inc. since 1984 is Stephen K. Maginnis, president and Donald F. Barnes, vice president. Corporation. Mid-Georgia Telephone Corporation continued to grow and expand its opera- tions throughout the late 1960s and ear- ly 70s. In October, 1983, Allied Telephone Company of Little Rock, Arkansas, was merged with Mid- Continent Telephone Corporation. The companys name was then changed to ALLTEL Corporation. In early 1984, Mid-Georgia Telephone Corporation was renamed ALLTEL Georgia, Inc. Ef- fective January 1,1986, a fourth district was merged into ALLTEL Georgia, Inc. Empire Telephone Company, serving ten exchanges, was added to bring all ALLTEL subsidiaries in Georgia under one nameALLTEL Georgia, Inc. ALLTEL Corporation is one of the nations major telecommunications Above Right: Commerce Telephone Company men pictured are; B. J. Barron. Otho Payne, Charles Barrett, Felton Wheeler, H. D. Suggs, W. A. Echols, M. R. Barron, and Dewey Poole. Ladies pictured are Hortense Benton, Ruth Serodino, and Jo Nell Minish. Aunt Peggy, seated at switchboard, was the night operator. Right: Stephen K. Maginnis. president, ALLTEL Georgia, Inc, 129 A Alma Telephone Company, Inc. The Patterson exchange serving 26 subscribers in Pierce County was pur- chased from W. E. Quattlebaum in 1936 by Mr. and Mrs. J. G. Bennett. The Ben- netts moved from Waycross to Patter- son to operate the business. Judge Emreys book, Independent Telephony in Georgia, lists exchanges at Alma and Nicholls as part of a group of exchanges in Georgia which were formed into an operating company known as the Central Company. This company operated under the same management as the Southeastern Telephone Company. In 1929, Alma had 74 telephones and Nicholls had 17. There is limited information available on the organization or early owners of these exchanges. The Bennetts purchased the Alma and Nicholls exchanges in 1940 from the Southeastern Telephone Company and moved to Alma. The Alma Telephone Company was formed and in- cluded the three exchainges of Patter- son, Alma, and Nicholls. Alma served 86 telephones and Nicholls had 18 at the time of purchase. The Alma Telephone Company con- verted its equipment to dial service in 1949. In 1958, the company was granted an REA loan to be used for an expansion program to serve the rural residents of all Bacon County and parts of Pierce and Coffee Counties. A new, modem of- fice and all modem equipment cut over July 16, 1960, brought the companys net investment to over a million dollars. Five new tmcks and a company car enhanced the companys service equipment. By the end of 1986 all party lines were eliminated in the companys three ex- changes and digital central office equip- ment had been installed. The total number of access lines was 4,656 at the end of that same year. The third generation of the Bennett family continues a tradition of indepen- dent telephone company operations at the Alma Telephone Company. Blue Ridge Telephone Company Blue Ridge Telephone Company sits in the beautiful green mountains of nor- thernmost Georgia, just shy of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The industry was sad- dened when Hoke Jones passed away in 1986. He had been owner and president of the company for many years and had devoted much of his life to the Blue Ridge Telephone Company. His son, Thomas Jones, assumed ownership upon his fathers death. The story is told that when the Ten- nessee Valley Authority (TVA) was organized, they bought the local power company and had to take the local telephone company as part of the deal. In the late 1930s the TVA wrote a let- ter to Mr. Dumas, who was then presi- dent of Southern Bell, and inquired if Bell was interested in taking over the telephone operations. Meanwhile, J. C. Doc Thomas, general superintendent for Southern Bell, soon to retire, had been looking around for a system to pur- chase and had just about settled on building an operation at Blairsville. Mr. Dumas knew of Mr. Thomas plans, and upon receipt of the letter from TVA, he called Mr. Thomas into his office and handed him the letter. Doc, youve been trying to get a telephone system; now is your chance. In a positive response, Doc got on the train, went to Knoxville, Tennessee, to the TVA of- fice and handing them the letter, stated that Southern Bell was not interested but he was. The TVA response was How much will you give us? Quickly estimating that there were about 75 telephones, Doc replied $2500. He immediately realized he had spoken too soon; he knew he could have bought it for $1500. Nonetheless the purchase price was set at $2500. On going back to Atlan- ta, Doc wrote the North Electric Com- pany in Ohio and told them he wanted to buy a little dial switchboard for the company. In that day, any order for a switchboard was a big order, and as a result, Gary Bertey, a North Electric Company sales manager, got on the train and came to Georgia. Doc operated the company for several years until age began to catch up with him. He was among the early, pioneering Southern Bell employees and before his retirement had gained a wide variety of experiences in telephony. His many civic involvements included being mayor on more than one occasion. The company was sold about 1960 to Hoke Jones and his brother, a lawyer, who entered into a partnership agree- ment. Hoke Jones later bought out his brother and retained ownership until his recent death. Blue Ridge Telephone Company has facilities at Blue Ridge, Dial and Lakewood, Georgia. This REA borrower company was the second exchange in Georgia to go dial. Now under the management of Thomas Jones, the company serves the three exchanges with dial offices and has 7,160 telephones. 131 ^ E N Brantley Telephone Company, Inc. Avery Strickland is the name that comes to mind at the mention of Brantley Telephone Company, Inc. Avery and Lena Strickland purchased the telephone company in April, 1945, when it had 52 subscribers, most of whom had been dissatisfied with the previous service. They were served by magneto type instruments. Mr. Strickland, a former school teacher, had been working as a telephone line maintainer for the Georgia Forestry Department since 1936. He worked on the old Timber Owners Association (TOA) phone lines that ran approximately 220 miles from the Braganza regional headquarters near Waycross to the fire tower in Glynn County. The TOA lines were used to warn of forest fires or other such occur- rences in the timber country. The Brantley Telephone Company eventually purchased the TOA lines. Below: Recent Brantley Right: Early Brantley Telephone Co. office. Telephone Exchange. The Georgia Forestry Department was unhappy with the telephone service it was getting in Brantley County, so they gave Mr. Strickland a leave of absence to buy the phone company and improve the service. This project took about a month, and then he hired a man to run the business. The Stricklands porch was the base of operation until the business was moved to their garage. The company grew quickly with Strickland and his wife working day and night manning the 100-line Kellogg switchboard. Meanwhile, Mr. Strickland was still holding down his Job with the state. By 1952, dependable service was be- ing provided to 200 subscribers. Also in that same year, Brantley Telephone Company was granted a corporate charter. The original stockholders and officers were: Avery Strickland, presi- dent; Elroy Strickland, vice president; and Lena J. Strickland, secretary and treasurer. The company applied for an REA loan in 1952 to upgrade service, change over to rotary dial, and build a brick of- fice in Nahunta to house the dial system. Service would also be expanded into rural areas of Brantley County and Charlton County. The loan was approv- ed, and Brantley Telephone was the first in south Georgia to install rotary dial. The 200 stations the company had in 1952 jumped to 366 the same year after the automatic equipment was installedproof that this was what the 132 Mr. and Mrs. Avery Strickland on the occasion of his induction into the Hall of Fame. people wanted. The following year new facilities were built in Nahunta and Hoboken. In 1965,127 miles of buried cable was added to upgrade from eight-party rural service to four-party. An exchange was built in Hortense the next year. Direct distance dialing (DDD) was in- augurated on June 11, 1970, when the mayor of Nahunta placed the first DDD call to his brother in Oklahoma. Also in 1970 the Nahunta exchange was again expanded. Another milestone was recorded in 1977 when the company gained its 2000th customer. At that time, Mr. Strickland projected that Hoboken and Waynesville (built in 1976) would pro- bably grow the most. Brantley Telephone serves the submarine base in Camden County and Colonels Island in Glynn County. On June 24, 1985, Avery Strickland was inducted into the Peach State Chapter Independent Telephone Pioneer Association Hall of Fame recognizing his outstanding achieve- ment, dedication, and loyalty to the telecommunications industry. Through the leadership Mr. Strickland brought to Brantley Telephone, the company has kept pace with changes in the industry. The company now provides service to more than 2,500 customers over new computerized switching equipment in- stalled in 1986. Bulloch Telephone Cooperative, Inc. On March 8, 1951, a group of in- terested citizens met for the purpose of organizing a cooperative to furnish telephone service to areas of Bulloch County not then being served by other telephone companies. At a later meeting in July, 1951, a board of trustees was elected and the charter and by-laws were adopted. The board made a successful offer to pur- chase the Brooklet Telephone Company and the Portal Telephone Company, as well as two existing farmer-owned lines. This transaction was to help make the project more feasible. Mr. Byron Dyer, the county extension service agent, was instrumental in the organization of the cooperative and pro- vided information about the organiza- tion of the new Rural Electrification Ad- ministration program of the United States Department of Agriculture. The first loan funds were received in 1954, and construction was immediately started to furnish eight-party service out of the base area of the three exchanges. On completion of this construction in 1956, there were 600 subscribers. Over the next ten years the number of subscribers increased three-fold as a major construction project replaced all open wire with under-ground cable. Working with Statesboro Telephone Company, free extended area calling throughout Bulloch County was provid- ed to subscribers of both telephone companies. At the end of 1965 Bulloch Telephone had also upgraded to four- party rural service and was serving 1,700 subscribers. The 1970s brought major changes. The subscribers were demanding the best possible service, and they especially wanted private line service and were will- ing to pay the costs. A large expansion program was started to bring about this service. All new toll facilities connecting directly with Southern Bell were built and put into service in 1976-1977. At the same time two new exchanges, pro- viding all one-party service, were add- ed. An attractive and functional head- quarters building and warehouse were built and dedicated in August, 1977. Bulloch Telephone continues to grow and in 1986 served 4,800 subscribers. In 1988 the company will finish conver- ting to all digital switching offices, com- pleting a process stcuted in 1982 when the first digital control office was install- ed at the Brooklet exchange. Bulloch Cooperative is interested in the needs and wishes of its customers and strives to provide the best possible service. BATTERIES Gry l.bel Dry Battery 133 I Camden Telephone & Telegraph Company, Inc. Historical records indicate that there were telephones in the north end of Camden County near the Satilla River as early as 1894 and in St. Marys in 1903. The Satilla Telephone Company was incorporated in 1905 in Woodbine as a stock company. Each share sold for ten dollars. At that time Dr. A. K. Swift was president of the Satilla Telephone Company and J. S. N. Davis, an owner of the Woodbine Timber Company, acted as secretary. It is also believed that the same shareholders may have own- ed the St. Marys Telephone Company, since Satilla Telephone had one phone connected from its system to St. Mcirys. Long distance service came in 1912 when Bell Telephone Company install- ed an open wire route from Denmark, South Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida, and placed submerged cables in the Satilla River at Woodbine and in the St. Marys River. The Satilla Telephone Company went out of business when the lumber mills discontinued operation in Woodbine in the late 1920s, but service remained in St. Marys. In 1927 J. Frank Bailey, Jr. acquired the St. Marys Telephone Company from Miss Semora Brandon who with J. F. Hughes had purchased the company from J. S. N. Davis and George Bran- don. Miss Brandon had operated the magneto switchboard from the rear of the family-owned Riverview Hotel on the St. Marys waterfront. After Mr. Bailey purchased the com- pany, he moved the switchboard to the old depot building on the waterfront. In 1936 he enlarged the company to in- clude Kingsland and installed a switch- board in A. E. Flemings home. Mr. Fleming had contracted to offer swit- chboard space and operator service in Kingsland. Woodbine was provided service utiliz- ing a forestry system of 16 phones in- stalled by the Timber Protection Organization in 1928 with a single long distance trunk. J. Frank Bailey, Jr. died in 1940, and the company was passed on to his three sons, Warren, Wilbur, and Wallace. Warren A. Bailey operated and manag- ed the company, and in 1948 he and his brother Wilbur installed switchboard facilities in Woodbine and created the Woodbine Telephone Company. In 1941 Gilman Paper Company opened a paper mill at St. Marys. At that time there were about 24 phones in St. Marys and 20 in Kingsland. The paper mill and later Gilmans bag plant brought steady growth to the company. The Woodbine-based company was combined with the Camden Telephone Company, which served St. Marys and Kingsland, when the three brothers in- corporated in July, 1955, to form the present Camden Telephone and Telegraph Company, Inc. All the exchanges were magneto operation until July, 1958, when they were converted to county-wide dial ser- vice after receiving an REA loan. At the same time service was extended to many of the outlying areas of the county which had not been served by the company. In 1976, the Secretary of the Navy an- nounced that Kings Bay in the St. Marys exchange area had been selected as the site for a submarine support base to ac- commodate the squadron of fleet ballistic missle submarines being withdrawn from their operational base 134 at Rota, Spain. A massive constmction project for the support facility began. The submarine tender USS Simon Lake arrived July 2, 1979, with the first submarine, the USS James Monroe, arriving on July 6 to begin refit services for its next deterrent patrol. To meet the increased growth that would come with the base, the company installed new TRW-Vidar digital swit- ching equipment in their offices at St. Marys in 1979 and Kingsland in 1980. The business office was moved from its old location on the comer of Osborne and Conyers Streets in St. Marys to the new building housing the St. Marys swit- ching equipment. Areas that had been primarily used for pulpwood forestry now became housing projects. A massive cable distribution program was initiated by the company to provide service to these areas and convert many areas that had been four- party service to one-party service. Along with residential and business growth associated with the new base, the entire county road system began a dramatic change. Two-lane thorough- fares became four and five lanes which, of course, required massive cable relocations. Camden Telephone was still expan- ding to provide service for the growth brought by the $125 million dollar base when the Navy officially announced in 1980 that Kings Bay had been selected to become the Atlantic home for the new Ohio class Trident submarine. Plans were also announced that $1.8 billion would be spent for new construction at the base. The first Trident submarine is scheduled to arrive in 1989. In December, 1981, TRW-Vidar an- nounced they would no longer manufac- ture digital telephone switching equip- ment. So in December, 1985, Camden Telephone Company awarded a contract to Northern Telecom to replace the St. Marys switch with a DMS-100/200 digital switch with tandem to Kingsland and to replace the step switch at Woodbine. This replacement will meet the con- tinued growth expected throughout Camden County in the 1980s and 1990s. The following dramatic increases make Camden Telephone Company one of the fastest growing independent telephone companies within the state with continued growth projected through the 1990s. The three Bailey brothers are current- ly sole owners and directors of the com- pany. Warren A. Bailey is still active as president and general manager of the company while J. Wilbur and Wallace K. Bailey are retired. COMPARATIVE COMPANY FIGURES December 1978 December 1985 Commercial Subscribers.........................750 1,590 Residential Subscribers..................... 3,221..............6,750 Annual Long Distance Calls................ 386,122..........2,148,000 Miles of Cable in Place........................403................633 Total Company Investment................$4,746,157........$17,077,762 CURRENT COUNTY POPULATION INFLUX ESTIMATES 1985 1990 1998 8,200 18,100 25,500 135 Chickamauga Telephone Corporation Chickamauga Telephone Corporation traces its beginning to over a half cen- tury ago. The earliest records for the company appear in the archives of the Georgia Public Service Commission in Atlanta in 1920. However, correspondence on file and other limited data shows that the pro- perty was acquired in 1914, and the ex- change built in 1916 by Mr. A. E. Yates of Chickamauga. Mr. Yates ran his first line as communication between his residence, Wheeler House, and his of- fice at Crystal Springs Bleachery. Later, as other people wanted to be added to the line, he established the first Chickamauga Telephone System. By 1920, the system had grown to 155 operating stations. But, the years bet- ween 1920 and 1940 were years of uncertainty, when more was going out than was coming in. The rates of only $2 per month seemed high, so the number of stations decreased to less than 100. Business picked up, and by 1940 the system again had 106 stations, ten miles of pole line, and a 100-line board. On August 31,1944, the heirs of Mr. Yates, Mrs. Cecile Campe Yates and Mrs. Mildred Yates Finfrock, transfer- red all property of Chickamauga Telephone System to Mr. Horace W. Vaughan and associates. The exchange was then operated as a partnership, until 1947, when Mr. Vaughan became sole owner. At the time of purchase the system was operated out of a small, white frame building with two employees and one vehicle. Horace W. Vaughan began his telephone career as a small boy, work- ing for his father, who owned Cor- nersville Telephone Company, Cor- nersville, Tennessee. At the age of 19 he purchased his first telephone com- panies, the Waynesboro Telephone Company and the Collingwood Telephone Company, both located in Tennessee. As an interesting side note, Horace Vaughan was a musician and writer whose accomplishments in the field in- clude hundreds of religious songs, in- cluding the famous If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again. The next properties Mr. Vaughan ac- quired were: Linden, Lobelville, and Clif- ton Telephone Companies, followed by the Fulton Telephone Company, Fulton, Mississippi, in 1940; Chickamauga Telephone System, Chickamauga, Georgia, in 1945; Ooltewah Telephone Company, Ooltewah, Tennessee, in 1947; Collegedale Telephone Company, Collegedale, Tennessee, in 1955 and Alabama Telephone Company, which eventually grew to be the largest in- dependent telephone company in the state of Alabama. Mr. Vaughan also had other telephone interests in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. As each company was purchased or organized, Mrs. Frances S. Vaughan served with her husband as a corporate director and in other executive posi- tions. She became secretary for Chickamauga Telephone System in 1947. By 1950, the system showed an in- crease to 392 stations, 47 miles of line, and 715 poles. In addition they had a 200-line automatic switchboard. This marked the beginning of Chickamauga Telephone Systems ex- Art and Frances Barnes (standing) inaugurate touch-tone dialing in 1970. pansion program. Between 1950 and 1952, when Mr. Vaughan incorporated the company and simultaneously con- verted to the dial system, a new brick telephone office had been built on Thomas Avenue. By 1960, the telephone system had grown to 1,646 stations and two ex- changes. With the increased service, an addition was built in 1962, and a new 2700-line Stromberg-Carlson XY central office was installed. Following Mr. Vaughans death in 1963, Frances Vaughan became presi- dent and general manager of Chickamauga Telephone Corporation, Ooltewah Telephone Company, and Collegedale Telephone Company. She was also president of Alabama Telephone Company, Fayette, Alabama, from 1964 to 1967; vice president of Waynesboro (Tennessee) Telephone Company and Linden (Tennessee) Telephone Company; secretary and treasurer of Fulton Telephone Com- pany, Fulton, Mississippi; and secretary and treasurer of West Alabama T. V. Cable Compemy, Fayette, Alabama. In 1965 Frances Vaughan married Ar- thur W. Barnes, vice president and general manager of Southern Telephone Supply Company, Decatur, Georgia. In 1967, the telephone company, already running short of office space, tip- ped the scales in favor of a new building. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held April 27, 1968, for the beautiful new building, the most modem commercial building in Chickamauga. It was com- pletely air conditioned, featuring background music and an intercom system, plus a new telephone system with the latest equipment. In line with a program of Total Com- munications Chickamauga Telephone Corporation, in 1968, also offered the highly sophisticated and trouble-free business intercom system, with radio and background music, to all types of commercial subscribers. In 1969, Chickamauga Telephone received approval of a $1,224,000 loan from Rural Electrification Administra- tion to finance extensive improvements and additions to service the Chickamauga and High Point areas. A plant office and warehouse building were erected on a large portion of land purchased for that purpose on Cove Road. This facility is still being used. As of August 31, 1969, a total of 2,621 customers were being serviced by the Chickamauga exchange and 275 through High Point. In the early 1970s, the company became the first telephone company in the state of Georgia to install a preci- sion time and temperature forecasting system providing service around the clock. In June, 1970, Chickamauga Telephone offered new touch-tone dial- ing to its customers. Contrasting facilities a picture of progress. 137 One thing led to another and it became necessary for the telephone company to make needed, extensive remodeling in order to continue offer- ing quality service to their customers. In 1979, the Chickamauga Telephone Corporation replaced the 2700-line Stromberg-Carlson XY central office, in operation since 1962, with a new 3900-line Stromberg-Carlson System Century digital central office. This was state-of-the-art equipment and offered the latest in telephone features. This digital central office was the first of its kind in the southeast United States. In 1983, BVS Communications Ser- vice Company, Inc. was formed. It is a holding company with Chickamauga Telephone Corporation, Ooltewah- Collegedale Telephone Company, Chickamauga Communications, Inc., American Data Industries, Inc. and Chattanooga-Northwest Georgia Cellular Radio, Inc. as its subsidiaries. Arthur D. and Frances Vaughan Barnes have for many years been key figures in Georgia independent telephony. Their prominent roles in GTA include each having served as board member, chairperson, and presi- dent of the..association. Frances was the first confirmed woman president and board member of the association. (There were reports that Mrs. J. E. Kirk may have served on the board.) Chickamauga Telephone Company was purchased in 1986 by another family operation, Telephone Electronics Cor- poration, founded and owned by brothers Joseph (Jody) and Charles Fail. This is the first appearance of the Fail company in Georgia telephony ownership. The Fail brothers have both been ac- tive all of their adult lives in the family- owned telephone business which their father founded in Bay Springs, Mississ- ippi in 1923. Other corporations owned by Telephone Electronics Corporation are Bay Springs Telephone Company, Crockett Telephone Company, Com- muniGroup, ComNet, National Telephone of Alabama, Peoples Telephone Company, Roanoke Telephone Company, TEC Communica- tions Service, TEC West, U. S. Access, West Tennessee Telephone Company, and Video. Jody Fail serves as chairman of the board and officer and director of each of the subsidiaries. Charles Fail is presi- dent and director of TEC and is also an officer and director of each of the sub- sidiaries. Both have been active in the independent telephone industry, as well as civic, business and church organizations. Meager beginnings at Chickamauga Telephone Company. 138 Citizens Telephone Company, Inc. Citizens Telephone Company is an outgrowth of three telephone companies in Sumter, Lee, and Dooly counties. The Leslie-DeSoto Telephone Company was formed by J. L. Amason on September 6,1910, and was later transferred to I. R. Stanford. Tommy C. Smith bought the company on April 2,1946, with 99 working magneto type telephones and a 90-line Kellogg mcmual switchboard. The Plains Telephone Company was established in the early 1920s by the Norman Murray family and in February, 1940, was franchised to Thad M. Jones. Mr. Smith added this company to his system in 1951 when he purchased its Automatic Electric 80-line step board which served 125 dial telephones. In April, 1959, a county-wide extend- ed area service (EAS) between Americus, Leslie and Plains was established in a cooperative effort between the Bell Com- pany and Citizens Telephone Company. The Vienna Telephone Company was organized by the William Turton fami- ly with 13 subscribers in 1902. Mrs. Nellie Turton operated the franchise from 1936 to April 1,1959, when Tom- my Smith bought it. At that time an Automatic Electric 350-line step swit- chboard served 525 dial telephones. Citizens Telephone Company, form- ed by these three small compainies, was incorporated June 19,1957, with Tom- my C. Smith, Jesse L. Davis, and Lor- raine Davis Smith as officers. In 1960 the company began burying outside plant cable and converted eight- party lines to graded one, two and four- party service. Mr. Smith recalled: We were pioneers in underground communications. Citizens Telephone Company buried more than 140 miles of underground cable facilities at a cost of $243,000. My good friend and neighbor, Mr. H. C. Bond, (owner of the Public Service Telephone Company, Reynolds, Georgia) came to me with a ques- tion. Do you know what you are doing? I talked to myself on regular occasions to make sure I did. Very few if any companies were into buried cable. This speculative step later proved to be a move in the right direction. On March 11, 1971, a county-wide EAS service was provided for all Dooly County exchanges between Vienna, Pinehurst, Unadilla, and Byromville, Georgia. Three companies. General Telephone Company, Plant Telephone and Power Company and Citizens Telephone Company, joined together for the successful completion of this EAS. Citizens Telephone Company was still expanding and upgrading rural service when in 1976 Jimmy Carter was elected as President of the United States. This Establishment of rural service to a local farm in 1951. (L-R) Bob Gregory, Tommy Smith, and Joe Longshore. 139 was an unparalleled experience for the small telephone company, and the events that followed were astronomical. The involvement in serving the 39th President of the United States began in October, 1975. The company was notified that U. S. Secret Service pro- tection of candidates for the 1976 presidential election was to begin and that the telephone company serving Plains (candidate Jimmy Carters home town) would be involved in providing the telecommunications facilities for the Secret Service. At that early point in the 1976 cam- paign, Jimmy Carter was not considered to be one of the front runners in the presidential election for 1976. Citizens knew that they would have to provide the telephone service to the Secret Ser- vice protection detail assigned to can- didate Carter, but there was no way to predict the telecommunications re- quirements of the Secret Service, the White House Communications Agency and the news media that would confront the company within the next year. Telephone service to the Plains ex- change had been provided by a Stromberg-Carlson XY switching system since 1959. A new design was to enlarge the existing central office building and add new switching and carrier facilities, but that was planned for 1978three years away. In early 1976 when it beccime apparent that expanded service would be required ahead of schedule, due to the steady increase in requests for local service and additional long distance traffic. Citizens determined that immediate action was necessary. Stan- dard Telephone Company of Cornelia was called on to provide equipment and manpower to add more local lines and long distance facilities. It was anticipated that this addition would meet the ser- vice needs until the Democratic Convention in the summer of 1976 when the Democratic presidential cand- idate would be named. While there had been a steady in- crease in demand by the press and the campaign staff for service up to the Democratic Convention, the first wave of service requirements came when Jim- my Carter received his partys endorse- ment to be their candidate for the November election. After the conven- tion, the demand for service hit Citizens with unanticipated force. The Secret Service increased their protection staff for the candidate and his family, and the campaign staff greatly increased their presence in Plains, but the greatest in- crease in service requirements came from the news media. During the period between the con- vention and the November election. Citizens Telephone Company revised the planning schedule for the additions to the Plains exchange and gave meeting this demand a number one priority. A building addition was required to pro- vide adequate space for the new com- munications equipment. Orders were placed for additional line, trunk and transmission equipment. Carrier facilities were added to allow for the in- crease in long distance trunks, as well as the special services required by the Secret Service and the news media. When Jimmy Carter was elected Presi- dent of the United States in November, most of the staff at Citizens Telephone Company could not celebrate or even take time to watch the news reports they were too busy meeting the telecom- munications requirements of the news media at Plains who were covering this event. Service was provided to CBS, ABC, NBC, Associated Press, United Press International, Voice of America, Mutual Radio and many other represen- tatives of the news media. After Jimmy Carter was elected Presi- dent of the United States, his personal communications requirements reached levels that again could not have been an- First call on new dial system in 1951. (L-R) Tommy Smith and Mavor W. W. Webb. 140 DEFENSE COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY WASHINGTON. D C. 20305 11 January 1977 TO: THE \VH\TE HOESE \V\SHlNGTOK June 8, \91B To Gordon DuH \ wonted to thank you tor your hard work dur\ng my recent vU\t to P\Qins. \ appreciate your efforts in my behoU. Thank you. Sincereiy, CMCA Mr. Gordon Duff Citizens Teleptiane Co. P.O. Box 187 ieslie, (51 31764 Dear Mr. Duff: 1 wculd like to take this opportunity to ccnmend you for the out- standmg support ycu provided ny personnel during the 1976 Presidential Canp^gn. it gives me great pleasure to single out those who deserve ^pecial recognition for their ccntributicns in assisting the Canpaign Management Control Agency mset its oamdtments. Enolosed is a Certificate of Appreciation. Please accept my sincere thanks for a job well done. * SB^ccsja Iff COL USAF Chief, OCfl 1 End. Mr. Gordon Dvrf< CVizens Te\ephone C^pony Ploins, Georgio 3\109 Mouomg PLAINS GEORGIA 5^ downtown plains JIMMY CARTER S BOTHOOD HOME Mm of PRESIDENT Jimmy Carter PLAINS HIGH SCHOOL PLAINS BAPTIST CHURCH k. OLD DEPOT. SITE OF inaugural train departure 141 ticipated. Not only did his Secret Ser- vice protection increase, but the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) officially began to provide worldwide communications facilities to President Carter. This was accomplish- ed by the provision of specially modified switchboards that Citizens Telephone Company purchased from General Telephone of Florida. These swit- chboards were installed and maintain- ed by Citizens and staffed by WHCA operators to link the various offipremises stations located among the presidential area as well as back to Washington on direct lines. The company has preserv- ed for display the manual switchboard that served President Jimmy Carter dur- ing his tenure in office. This switchboard was used by the WHCA, but installed and maintfiined by Citizens Telephone Company. Each time President Carter returned to Plains during his term in office, the flurry of activity would return with him. Citizens would provide government and press facilities at the local airport, where the presidential helicopter would land, and whatever new facilities were necessary for that particular visit. Each time the President returned, the special switchboard would once more be staff- ed by the WHCA operators around the clock to insure instant communications between the Plains White House and the Washington White House. This cycle of tremendous levels of service ac- tivity followed by the quiet times, when the President returned to Washington, continued during the coming four years. While the communications needs at Plains are not at the peak levels they were during Jimmy Carters term in of- fice, Citizens Telephone Company con- tinues to work closely with the Secret Service protection detail, as well as President Carters staff, to insure that their communications needs are met. Today, Tommy C. Smith and his three daughters, Claire S. Stapleton, Gail S. Ledger, and Fran S. Deriso, are the sole stockholders and directors of Citizens Telephone Company. Tommy C. Smith is active as president and general manager while Gordon M. Duff is ex- ecutive vice president and operations manager. The companys central office equipment consists of two digital Nor- thern Telecom DMS-10 central offices, one Stromberg-Carlson XY step central office, and one Stromberg-Carlson elec- tronic switchboard. The Stromberg- Carlson XY step switchboard is due to be replaced with a Northern Telecom DMS-10 switchboard in 1987 in a con- tinued program of meeting the needs of the customers of Citizens Telephone Company. Tommy Smith checking the old 1926 Talbolton magneto swit- chboard at Andersonville, Georgia, Museum. 142 Coastal Utilities, Inc. Coastal Utilities was incorporated by the state of Georgia in 1953 to provide telephone service in that certified area of coastal Georgia as approved by the Georgia Public Service Commission. This area encompassed primarily the county of Liberty, with portions of Bryan and Mcintosh counties included. The history of this company does not begin at the time of the above incorpora- tion but transcends the entire period of industrial development of coastal Georgia. An inquiry began in 1946 when Glenn Bryant purchased the Hinesville Telephone Company. Research found little supporting in- formation on early corporate develop- ment of telephony in coastal Georgia. We do know that local telephone ser- vice was still a novelty in 1910, and there was less than one telephone per 50 households in the southern states. Too, the exact date that commercially swit- ched telephone service was first provided in Coastals certified area has not been established. Henry Ford installed a private telephone system to serve employees of the Ford Plantation, called Cherry Hill, which is within Coastals exchange area. This system remained private un- til the plantation was sold to other in- dividuals a few years prior to the pur- chase of the Hinesville system by Mr. Bryant. Even though Glenn Bryant may not be classed among the earliest of pioneers, we do readily see he was in- deed a pioneer in the provision of com- mercial rural telephone service in coastal Georgia since this industry had not flourished in rural areas. The attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of World War II were the events that brought Glenn and Trudie Bryant to Hinesville and Liberty Coun- ty. Glenn was a civil servant with the government and managed the federal housing, serving personnel associated with Camp Stewart. Subsequent to the war, Mr. Bryant had an opportunity to purchase the Hinesville Telephone Company which was then owned by Mr. J. L. Kirk. At that time, Hinesvilles population was less than 1,000 and with no industry, Hinesvilles future did not look very bright. Purchase of the Hinesville Telephone Company was consumated on July 1, 1946. At the time of purchase the telephone company was serving 253 customers. The year-end report for 1946 submitted to the Georgia Public Service Commis- sion revealed some very interesting facts. The company was providing telephone service to 70 business establishments, 157 residents were receiving service, and 24 paystations were located throughout the area. The company had approx- imately 50 miles of open aerial wire, and calls were processed through two com- mon battery type switchboards. The total plant value of the telephone com- pany was $34,000. The first years were very lean. In fact, the 1946 total operating revenues were Coastal Utilities old toll operator room with seven position, full multiple board. 143 $18,203 with a total operating expense of $18,111 for a net operating income of $92. There were less than ten employees with an annual payroll of $8,228. Mr. Bryants salary as general manager was unpaid for the first three years of the companys operation due to the financial condition of the company. During these early years all local and long distance calls were placed through the telephone operator. Mrs. Evelyn B. Goff served as Coastals first chief operator, and she remained with the company until retirement in 1976. Monthly rates for telephone service in 1946 were $4 per month for business establishments and $2.75 for residential single-party service. An extension cost the subscriber an additional dollar per month. Paystation calls were made for a buffalo nickel. During the 1940s the company ex- perienced modest growth and one of the early, major changes in company posture came in 1950. Eight toll boards were added, and the Hinesville Telephone Company was officially classified as a toll center. Also, in 1950, the first private branch exchange (PBX) was installed. The system had 18 lines and 18 stations. Mr. Bryant, in a separate action, pur- chased the Coastal Telephone Company at Richmond Hill in 1951. Subscribers were served by a CX-1000 automatic switchboard made by North Electric with a capacity of 100 lines wired and 50 lines equipped. The company served a total of 50 subscribers. In 1952 the Midway exchange was cut over with a total of 68 multi-party sta- tions in service. This exchange utilized a 60-line North Electric relay type switch. In 1953, Mr. Bryant filed an applica- tion with the Georgia Public Service Commission to acquire the properties of the Hinesville and Coastal Telephone Companies for the purpose of consolida- tion and to provide increased efficien- cies in operation, economics, and to meet requirements for financial assistance through the REA to rehabilitate and expand existing facilities. Even though Coastal enjoyed a cons- tcmt but modest growth throughout the fifties and sixties, the seventies and early eighties brought about major progress. A small data processing facility established in 1975 has grown into a highly advanced operation. During 1976, over four million dollars of new plant facilities were added. Eight TSC toll boards were cut in service giv- ing 16 TSC positions along with automatic ticketing equipment for traf- fic functions. Additionally, an 11-GHZ microwave system was constructed which interconnected all of the com- panys exchanges and provided toll ser- vices throughout the world via a video cable interfacing the Bell system. In 1977, the 582 subscribers in the Richmond Hill area dialed their way in- to the digital century becoming the first Americans to make calls through a computer-controlled, digital, class-five office. The 500-line century switch replaced the XY switch installed in 1962. The company enjoyed national media coverage of this first-time event. Following this new and advanced technology, a DMS-10 was installed in 1978 at the Hinesville exchange. A DMS-100-200 was cut over in 1980 and in conjunction with this cJl- electronic digital switch, the new TOPS (Traffic Operator Position System), with 15 positions, was installed. This conver- sion provided subscribers the latest in telecommunications technology such as speed dialing, call waiting, call forwar- ding, and tele-conferencing. In 1981 a new exchange was con- structed at Midway. A DMS-10 was hous- ed in this very handsome and aristocratic structure providing satellite switching features for seven remote sta- tions constructed throughout the ex- change area. Another operational first for Coastal was brought about in 1984 when a Westinghouse power line carrier system was installed to serve the off-shore island of Saint Catherines. This carrier system utilized cm eight mile, 7200 volt, elec- tric submarine cable for telecommunica- tion transmissions. Again the company enjoyed national media coverage of this event. Mr. Bryant made a major change in top management in January, 1982, when he turned over the presidency of the company to his youngest son, Daniel. Danny says, Georgia stands as one of the leaders in telecommunications and technology with extensive manufactur- ing and production for satellite broad- casting and computer-assisted com- munications. It is our goal to keep pace with modern technology as we have in the past. Reflecting to 1946 with under 300 subscribers, as compared to over 16,000 in 1986, gives an indication of the com- panys overall growth. Too, plant investment has increased to a level of approximately 33 million dollars, completed toll messages increas- ed to over 6.5 million annually, and the 1985 annual operating revenues approx- imated 13 million dollars. Coastal utilities continues its progress with the current construction of a fiber optic trunk system interconnecting its ex- changes, setting up a wide area paging system for coastal Georgia, and the sub- mission of applications to the FCC to provide a cellular radio system between the South Carolina and Florida borders in the Coastal region. With a current monthly basic local service charge of $5.20 and an installa- tion fee of $4.50, the 200 employees of Coastal Utilities, Inc. are confident that the subscriber has been provided the most in advanced telephone technology and service at the lowest rate possible in compliance with national telephone policy. 144 Continental Telephone Company of the South The history of Continental Telephone Company of the South represents a series of mergers, name changes, and the acquisition of some ten independent telephone companies. Continental is a member of the CONTEL system. Dixie Telephone Dixie Telephone Company was pur- chased from H. C. Hearn in 1965 by Telephones, Inc., a holding company. Dixie Telephone Company had its headquarters in Claxton and served some seven exchanges. The company started when Mr. Hearn acquired the Collins exchange. Over the years. Alamo, Uvalda, Milan, Rhine, Springfield, and Rincon were added. Mention of Alamo, Rhine, Milan, and Uvalda is contained in an article about Southeastern Telephone Company, a Delaware corporation formed in 1928. The operating headquarters of the cor- poration was reported to be in Tallahassee, Florida. The Georgia pro- perty headquarters was reportedly established in Fitzgerald. There was a Farmers Telephone Company operating in Springfield, that was purchased from a Mr. L. Parker. Sikes Telephone Company (Glennville) Telephones, Inc. purchased Sikes Telephone Company from Aubrey E. Sikes, Sr. in 1965. C. R. Sikes is rumored to have been associated with the founding of the telephone company. According to available information. Southeastern Telephone Company purchased this exchange. Mr. Sikes, at a later time, built a new telephone system and began offering telephone service. Then Glennville had two telephone systems, both in competi- tion with each other and operating within the same area. About 1936, Southeastern withdrew from Glennville and Mr. Sikes purchased their system. Seminole Telephone Company (Donalsonville) Seminole Telephone Company serv- ed the Donalsonville, Iron City, Jakin, and Reynoldsville exchanges in Georgia. There was one exchange, Malone, in Florida. A Mr. E. R. Jordan is reported to have sold the telephone system in Donalson- ville to Mr. W. E. Quattlebaum. 145 Homerville Telephone Company business office in 1958. Seminole Telephone Company was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Spooner. Cherokee Telephone Company (Rochelle) This company was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Spooner at the same time as Seminole Telephone Company. Cherokee Telephone Company served Rochelle, Pitts, Pineview, and Rebecca. There appears to have been a Central Telephone Company which was reported to have listed Rochelle cind Rebecca as part of their company. How Mr. W. E. Quattlebaum acquired these exchanges is not known. Homerville Telephone Company (Homerville) The first mention of a telephone system in Homerville is reported to have been in a letter dated October 18,1911, signed by Mr. A. Hargrove, advising the GPSC he had sold to a Mr. H. A. Dames. At some point in time, Mr. L. B. Musgrove obtained the company. Down- ing Musgrove took over the operation of the company upon the death of his father, L. B. The Homerville Telephone Company was purchased from Downing Musgrove and consisted of two exchanges, Homer- ville and Fargo. Georgia State Telephone Company In 1966, Cherokee, Homerville, Seminole, Sikes, and Dixie Telephone Companies were merged into Dixie Telephone Company, and the name was changed to Georgia State Telephone Company. Wayne Telephone Company (Odum) Continental acquired Wayne Telephone Company from Mr. and Mrs. Joe Martin. Wayne Telephone Company served Odum and Screven. Gray-Haddock Telephone Company (Gray) Reported to have been originally built by T. Rad Turner and C. S. Bryant in 1915 to serve Gray. R. L. Lineberger purchased the com- pany in 1935 and purchased Haddock in 1943. Continental purchased the company I from Ralph Lineberger, and it consisted of the Gray, Haddock, and Lake Sinclair exchanges. Jeffersonville Telephone Company (Jeffersonville) Continental purchased the Jefferson- ville Telephone Company from Ralph Lineberger at the same time as the Gray- Haddock Telephone Company. The only known information is that the Danville Telephone Company and the Jeffersonville Telephone Company were purchased from W. G. Spears in 1939 by 0. B. Lineberger. At the time of purchase, there were three exchanges, Danville, Jeffersonville, and Montrose. South Georgia Telephone Company (Sylvania) South Georgia Telephone Company was acquired from Raiford J. Parker in 1977. The company served Sylvania, Reidsville, Ludowici, St. George, and Folkston, Georgia, and Boulougne, Florida. According to some reports. South Georgia Telephone Company started in Ludowici when B. Parker purchased this property from a Mr. C. R. Sikes in January, 1911. Folkston Telephone Company was purchased in 1937 by Mr. B. Parker from his brother, L. Parker, which was formerly purchased from J. L. Laskins. Mr. B. Parker is reported to have pur- chased Reidsville from Southeastern Telephone Company in May, 1940. Mr. Parker and his son, R. J. Parker, purchased the Sylvania exchange from F. M. Houser in 1946. In 1949, all of the above companies were merged, and South Georgia Telephone Company was incorporated. Mention of the Sylvania exchange 146 goes back to 1920. The first owner listed was a Mr. Adis Millis, who acquired the company in 1920. Southeastern Telephone Company is reported to have purchased Sylvania in 1927 and sold it to Mr. F. M. Houser in 1940. Reidsville is also listed as an exchange of Southern Telephone Company around the 1927-1928 time frame. Thomaston Telephone Company (Thomaston) Continental purchased Thomaston Telephone Company from the New fami- ly in 1977. Madison New was president of Thomaston Telephone Company at the time it was purchased. According to available information, the original company was started in 1912 by the Fincher family as the Thomaston Telegraph and Telephone Company. In 1926 the company was sold to J. L. Kirk and acquired by W. M. New in September, 1927, and the name was changed to Thomaston Telephone Company. Clayton and Mountain City/Dillard Exchanges The Western Carolina Telephone Company at one time operated the Clayton and Mountain City/Dillard ex- changes in the northeast comer of Georgia. These exchanges were later ac- quired by Continental and became part of their North Carolina operation before being merged into the Georgia operation. Continental Telephone Com- pany of the South/Georgia Continental Telephone Company of the South/Georgia presently operates in some thirty-six communities within Georgia, plus one small exchange in Florida. Darien Telephone Company, Inc. Darien is situated at the mouth of the Altamaha River and is one of the states early settlements. Very little is known about the beginning of telephone ser- vice in this community until 1920 when Joseph Christopher Jackson bought the company from a Mr. Cobb in Savannah. Mr. Jackson operated the Darien Telephone Company until his death in 1924. Ownership then passed to his widow, Mary Anna Jackson. The next year the office was moved to a two-story brick house. The switchboard and equipment were located on the second floor of the building. In 1942 Richard Vernon Jackson, son of Mary Anna Jackson, and his wife, Bessie Ridley, purchased the company which consisted of a magneto switch- board with 50 lines. The switchboard was changed to a common battery board in 1948. Darien Telephone Company Office- 1925. Switchboard and other equipment located on second floor. Dial service was established in the Eulonia exchange in 1957 and in Darien on September 10, 1961. At the same time the company moved to a modem, brick office building. There were 734 stations in service by this time. By the end of the 1960s, direct distance dial- ing was added. Sapelo Island was served by the Atlas Utilities Company, owned by R. J. Reynolds. Extended area service (EAS) connected it to Darien and Bmnswick via microwave spanning the Inland Waterway. In 1972 Darien Telephone Company purchased Atlas Utilities and merged it with their company. By 1976 the company had all one- party service available in its Eulonia and Darien exchanges. In just ten years the number of stations had grown to 2,253. A first for the community of Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island came in 1978. A new central office was establish- ed there providing its first telephone service. On June 22, 1985, Richard Vernon Jackson died leaving the operation of 147 Present facility for Darien Telephone Company, Inc. the company to the following elected of- ficers: Bessie Ridley Jackson, president; Mary Lou Jackson Forsyth, vice presi- dent; Reginald Vernon Jackson, treasurer; Mary Alice Forsyth Glenn, secretary; William Irby Jackson, general manager and director. Darien Telephone Company con- verted its Darien, Eulonia, and Sapelo Island exchanges to digital October 19, 1986. By that time they had surpassed the 3,000 station mark. The Jackson family has owned and operated the Darien Telephone Com- pany for over half a century. They are supported in the business by 13 dedicated employeesKenneth I. Miller, Douglas Sawyer, Prince Watson, James Moody, Robert S. Woodward, Jr., Ben- nie Jones, William Glenn, Kerth Whit- ten, Russell Jones, James Flanagan, Bobbie Brown, Shirley Everson, and Lisa Sawyerin addition to the officers named above. Ellijay Telephone Company 1957Ellijay Telephone Company's complete central office and business office located on the second floor of the building pictured on next page. On April 13,1903, W. G. Owenby and John H. Carter submitted a petition re- questing permission from the mayor and council of Ellijay to establish a metallic circuit telephone system. At the next city council meeting on April 15, 1903, the response was that the request was ...in the opinion of the mayor and council reasonable, just, and proper.... The request for the franchise was granted for a period of 20 years and signed by the mayor and council. It is noted that one of the councilmen was B. S. Holden. A petition to establish a corporation was made about a year later by W. G. Owenby, B. S. Holden, and J. S. Carter. The corporation name was Ellijay Telephone Exchange. The capital stock was to be $5,000 with power to increase to an amount not exceeding $15,000. The corporate charter was granted April 13, 1904. The first officers of the corporation were B. S. Holden, president; J. H. Carter, vice president; and Charles S. Allen, secretary. The management of the company was under B. S. Holden. It appears that operation continued under this arrangement until March 22, 1913, when Ed W. Watkins, Jr., M. D. and G. C.' Watkins purchased the outstanding stock. Dr. Watkins manag- ed the company. The company did not grow rapidly. The Ellijay telephone directory of March 1,1932, shows a total of 23 subscribers. The directory was published by the Summerville Telephone Company and gave all listings for Summerville, Lyerly, Menlo, Ellijay, and Trion. By September, 1946, the company had grown to 137 subscribers served with the commonly used magneto type telephones and switchboard. The switch- board operators were the best-known representatives of the company. There was little outside plant construction on a continuing basis. The lines were not extended very much past the city limits^ In 1946 Dr. Watkins decided to sell the company because of the difficulty of operating in a post-World War II en- vironment and because of his desire to retire. A buyer was finally found, and on November 20, 1946, all of the stock in the company was transferred to Samuel B. Green, Edith M. Green, and Dorothy J. Green. Samuel B. Green began telephone work in 1903 and continued in this work until his death in 1962. Mr. Green work- ed in both Bell and independent com- panies. He retired about 1945 from the General Telephone Company. He had 148 spent most of his working time with the Gary Group which was bought by General Telephone a short time before his retirement. Today the idea of local exchange ser- vice provided by more than one com- pany is considered revolutionary but much of Mr. Greens telephone work ex- perience was in towns and cities where more than one telephone company pro- vided local exchange service without in- terconnection between the companies. Competition for customers was keen, and long distance service was provided at the option of the company providing that service. S. B. Green continued managing the company and in the mid-1950s began seeking a buyer so that he could reduce his workload. In June, 1958, one-half of the common stock was sold to Marian J. Harrison and Albert E. Harrison. The remaining one-half of the stock was pur- chased by the Harrisons in June, 1960. Albert Harrison, president of the com- pany, and his wife Nita are familiar and supportive figures on the GTA scene. Those giving effective leadership to Ellijay Telephone Company today are Marian Harrison, who is a registered nurse having completed training at San Bernardino County Hospital in Califor- nia; Albert Harrison, a former transmis- sion engineer with Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company; John M. Har- rison, who began work for Ellijay Telephone during his high school years and, after graduating from the Univer- sity of Georgia in 1974, has spent most of his time in the commercial and ac- counting areas; Quentin D. Holloway, graduate of Southern Tech is now plant superintendent; Roger Futch, formerly with AT&T long lines, has been in charge of central office equipment; and Gwen Holt who has responsibility for much of the commercial work at the company. 1986Ellijay Telephone Company's modern business office and central office. Other employees of the company in 1986 were: Accounting: Frances Carson John Weissinger Central Office: Sammy Dover Van Powell Commercial: Eva Cantrell Cindy Watkins Joyce Whitaker Plant: Bill Cantrell Larry Clayton Dale Cochran Ellijah Davis Cindi Hall Keith Logan Steve Parks Stacy Pettit Alvin Reece Jack Stanley Cleve Underwood Building Superintendent: Richard Neal For the past 28 years, after conver- ting from the mamual switching system, the growth in switching lines serving customers has averaged nine percent per year. Local development leads to the belief that this rate of growth is likely to continue. The objective and purpose of the stockholders and employees of Ellijay Telephone Company have been to pro- vide local exchange service of the best quality for which its customers are will- ing to pay. It has been a vital part of the community and proposes to continue in the changing environment of the future. 1957Ellijay Telephone Company's entranoe cable and total plant vehicular fleet. 149 ^UIEL Empire Telephone Company (Authors Note: On October 24, 1983, Mid-Continent Telephone Corporation and Allied Telephone Company merged to form ALLTEL Corporation. Empire Telephone Company, one of nine local exchange operating com- panies in ALLTELs southern region merged into ALLTEL Georgia, Inc. on January 1,1986.) Like many telephone companies that began in the late 1800s, Empire Telephone Company was bom out of the necessity for quick and easy communica- tions. A gentleman by the name of W. C. Birchmore owned and operated a small country store in 1894 near the northeast Georgia community of Max- eys. Mr. Birchmore and his family lived only a short distance from the family business in nearby Comer. As his store prospered, Birchmore recognized the increasing need for some kind of simple communication system between his home and business. Demonstrating an unusual sense of the need for communications, Birchmore established a single line consisting of two empty coffee cans and a waxed wire bet- ween his store and home. As he began to realize the potential of this kind of communications, Bir- chmore once again began stringing wires. In 1897, he and some friends started work on a telephone line that would connect the town of Comer to the county seat of Dcinielsville, some six miles down the road. By todays stan- dards the line was extremely crude. Old soft drink bottles were used as insulators and short limbs were left on the poles so linemen could get up and down to perform installation and repair work. After recognizing the demand for telephone communciations, Birchmore decided to turn his ideas into a business venture. In 1899, the Comer-Danielsville Telephone Company was chartered by Georgia. Originally the company serv- ed the communities of Ha, Sandy Cross, Danielsville, and Comer. During 1920, the Comer-Danielsville Telephone Company extended its lines into Colbert, Athens, and Carlton. By 1921, the company was providing telephone service to nearly 200 customers. Magneto switchboards were located in the homes of operators who knew everyone who had a telephone con- nected to their particular exchange. As the company continued to expand, con- struction crews were forced to erect campsites on location rather than use horses and wagons to haul men and equipment back to Comer each night. The Comer-Danielsville Telephone Company continued its expansion efforts through the 20s, 30s, and early 40s. In the late 1940s, rural telephone ser- vice was poor and many companies across the nation were on the verge of failure. Telephone rates were simply not high enough to cover the costs associated with continued expansion. In 1949, the Comer-Danielsville Telephone Company applied for a loan Oldest operator and board at Danielsville. 150 Pictured above with a portrait of the late John Birchmore are the former officers of the Empire Telephone Company. (L-R) Mrs. Mary B. Burousas, 1st. Vice President, Charlotte Birchmore, President, John C. Birchmore, Vice President and Secretary, and Alex N. Burousas. Vice President and Treasurer. of more than a million dollars from the newly formed Rural Electrification Ad- ministration (REA). On August 4,1950, the Comer-Danielsville Telephone Com- pany became the first company in Georgia and the fifth company in the na- tion to receive an REA loan. The capital generated by this loan was put to work immediately. The company began the long, complicated process of converting all of their old magneto equipment to the modem dial system. Following more than two years of extensive office and outside plant improvements, the com- pany was ready for the dial system conversion. On June 13,1953, Mrs. T. L. Henley made the first telephone call on the companys new dial system to her son who was stationed in California. The in- stallation of the dial system marked the end of crank telephones and magneto switchboards. In the neighboring county of Oglethorpe, telephone service was similiar to what it had been in Comer and Danielsville prior to the dial con- version. In 1956 the company decided to purchase the N. D. Arnold Telephone Company which served the communities of Crawford, Lexington, and Winterville. A few years later, the company also pur- chased the Union Point Telephone Company. By the end of 1959, work was completed and these additional com- munities were converted to the dial system. Shortly after these im- provements, the Comer-Danielsville Telephone Company name was shorten- ed to Comer Telephone Company. Several months later it was changed to Empire Telephone Company. By the mid-60s. Empire Telephone Company provided reliable, affordable 151 telephone service to more than 2,500 customers in ten exchanges. On May 19, 1965, the company held an open house for its customers, employees, and community dignitaries to celebrate the completion of their new commercial office. In June of 1974, Em- pire Telephone Company merged with Mid-Continent Telephone Corporation, one of the nations major telephone holding companies. At the time of the merger. Empire Telephone Company served approximately 10,000 telephones in ten exchanges operating in six coun- ties of northeast Georgia. Empire Telephone Company, and ALLTELs location in Georgia, represents telephonys latest technology while providing reliable service to its customers throughout the state. r. Fairmount Telephone Company, Inc. The Fairmount Telephone Company was organized as a proprietorship by Mr. P. H. Green, a local jewelry merchant and entrepreneur in 1908. Located on the city square at Fairmount, the original exchange included a small magneto switchboard and two telephones. In a few years the company was pro- viding telephone service to about 30 to 40 subscribers with a fee of $1 per month. Business houses paid an addi- tional 25*1 per month. In 1920 this proprietorship was bought by H. D. Lacey. The home of- fice was located in a residence. The com- pany successfully installed one circuit on railroad poles to Cartersville, creating some access to the outside world. This single circuit served adequately for several years carrying a few long distance calls. It is documented that Southern Bell rendered settlement statements and paid the commissions in postage stamps. The number of telephones grew to 75 in the next decade where it leveled off through 1949. Rates remained the same with monthly collections being done per- sonally by a member of the family. Mr. Laceys advancing years eventually required that the eldest son, Edward D. Lacey, take over the company which had established a proud reputation of ser- vice to its customers. At this point the magneto exchange was discontinued, and a new dial switch was installed. This switch was capable of providing service to as many as 400 subscribers. Coincident with this ven- ture, the owners applied for and receiv- ed a rate of $2.50 a month thus laying the foundation for a modern-day com- pany serving 250 subscribers. Growth demanded that at least two long distance circuits serve the area. Fairmount Telephones certified area covers parts of five counties located one hours drive northwest of Atlanta in the heart of the carpet industry. Situated in an area that would obviously increase in demand for more and better telephone service, the company under- took another expansion program in 1960. Financing was arranged through REA for construction of a building to house new automatic equipment capable of serving 2,000 subscribers. Existing plant, accommodating 800 subscribers, had to be expanded in the early 1970s to satisfy the growth. Low rates kept the companys revenue at a very modest level. At that time the operation of the company was carried on by five employees. By 1980 the number of subscribers doubled, and corresponding adjustments in engineering and operation were made. Equipment, service trucks, and employees were added. The company also established a data processing center. Current growth equals the state average, and management continues its program of expansion and improvement. In 1985 the subscriber list was ap- proaching 2,000 with both local and long distance revenues growing cor- respondingly. Plans have already been formulated and approved for a new digital central office and remote equip- ment designed for substantial future growth and increased services. The sale of the company to Mr. H. E. Bovay, Jr. and Mr. Otis Miller of Houston, Texas, in early 1987 marked the end of a 77-year ownership by one familythe original founder was a blood relative of the E. D. Lacey family. The new owners have been in the telecom- munications business many years and operate companies in Alabama and Mississippi. They are committed to con- tinued high-quality service to their customers. 152 General Telephone Company Of The South A Jigsaw Puzzle History General Telephone Company of the South, a subsidiary of the GTE Corpora- tion, first began providing communica- tion services to the people of Georgia in 1955. At that time the company had just over 22,000 customers scattered in the central part of the state. But growth came quickly to General Telephone as it did to many other Georgia industries. Within five years the companys number of customers had almost tripled. Today General Telephone Company of the South has 67 Georgia exchanges serving over 168,000 customers in 50 counties covering 12,000 square miles of area. As a result of this growth, two divisions were establishedNorth and Southwith headquarters in Dalton and Moultrie. A continuing program of service im- provements and equipment additions has brought GTEs investment in Georgia to over $310 million. In 1985 alone, over $50 million was spent on construction of telephone facilities. The moving force behind all the wire, cables, poles, and equipment is, of course, people. There are 982 Georgians working for General Telephone in jobs ranging from installer-repairer to cen- tral office equipment technician to operator. In 1985, GTEs employees in the state received over $24.4 million in salaries and benefits. The company paid over $5 million in local and state taxes. The First Piece of the Puzzle In 1955, the General System first mov- ed into the Peach State when it acquired the telephone and manufacturing pro- perties of Theodore Gary and Company merging them with the General Telephone System, composed of 585,000 telephones through 25 operating companies in 17 states. Garys Georgia operations, known as Georgia Continental Telephone Company, in- cluded 15,643 customers in Toccoa, Lavonia, Carnesville, Winder, Monroe, Marshallville, Perry, Ideal, Montezuma, Unadilla, Mt. Vernon, McRae, Buena Vista, Abbeville, Preston, Ashburn, Dawson, Cuthbert, Shellman, Ft. Gaines, Morgan, Edison, Bluffton, Bar- wich, Quitman, Adel, Nashville, and Alapaha. By the time it merged into the Southeast Company, a subsidiary of GTE, in October, 1957, Georgia Con- tinental Telephone Company had begun acquisition of the Southeastern Telephone Company in Fitzgerald which also served Ocilla and Irwinville. The merger of this company into Georgia Continental took place in March, 1957, and included another 11,816 stations. Also that October, the Milledgeville Telephone and Telegraph Company, serving roughly 3,000 stations, was ac- quired by General; however, it was not merged with the Southeast Company un- til 1960. The Other Side of the Puzzle Another major acquisition took place in 1961, when GTE acquired the Kirk Telephone System, serving portions of Alabama and northwest and southwest Cutover of exchange now owned by GTE. Bob Alford and Slim Martin pictured in the group. 153 Georgia. As with all of the GTE acquisi- tions, the corporation held the acquired property until the subsidiary (the Southeast Company in this instance) could generate enough capital, or stock, to purchase the holdings. So, until GTSE could purchase the Kirk System holdings, GTE established two new General Telephone Companies. The Kirk holdings in Georgia con- sisted of 25,600 telephones among eight companies in 22 counties. The largest company. Consolidated Telephone, serv- ed Moultrie, Doerun, Norman Park, and Berlin in southwest Georgia. The Dalton Telephone Company served Dalton, Cohutta, and Tunnel Hill. Summerville Telephone Company served Menlo, Summerville and Lyerly. The Gold Leaf Telephone Company served Ray City, Lakeland, Hahira, Morven, Pavo, Boston, Meigs, and Coolidge. Four other companies served single exchanges-Chatsworth Telephone Company, Douglas Telephone Com- pany, Trion Telephone Company, and Broxton Telephone Company. In February, 1964, GTE acquired the Canton Telephone Company, serving 5.000 telephones in the county seat communities of Canton and Jasper. This company, along with an ex-subsidiary of Consolidated, the Gold Leaf Telephone Company mentioned earlier, was merg- ed into General Telephone of Georgia in August, 1965. Since then, only one other company has been added to General Telephones Georgia holdingsthe Mutual Telephone Company in Manchester. This company, consisting of roughly 3.000 stations in Manchester, Warm Springs, and Woodland, was acquired in February, 1967. On December 31, 1970, all of the Georgia properties were merged into General Telephone of the Southeast which became General Telephone of the South December 31, 1985. The name change to General Telephone of the South reflects the merger of GTEs Southeast Company consisting of state operations in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia with General Telephone Company of Kentucky. The company serves approximately one million customers through 7,500 employees in eight states. General Telephone Company Milestones (in Georgia) 1956 NovemberMonroeindividual ringing on party lines instead of code rings 1957 AprilPerrydial conversion Left: Warehouse at Commerce Thomas L. Johnson, Ronald (Pete)Allen. Below: Georgia Continentals Monroe cutover. 1957Starting a new building in Dalton, Georgia. 1958 MarchDawsondial telephone plant groundbreaking long distance operators can dial any city without going through another operator MarchOcilladial conversion Julyfirst telephones in rural areas of Irwin County Georgia 1959 MarchGeneral Telephone merges with Sylvania, named changed to General Telephone & Electronics March4000th telephone installed in Toccoa JuneCuthbert dial conversion JulyMilledgevillegoes to two/five digit phone numbers September30,000th telephone install- ed in Georgia 1960 SeptemberDial conversionWinder Octoberacquired territory in Southeast Alabama and northwest and south Georgia (Kirk System) November40,000 stations GTSE took over all Bell System- owned private line teletypewriter service in GTSE area Marketing and sales for first time exceeded $1 million in 1 year 1964 FebruaryGT&E acquired Canton Telephone Co. 1967 Februaryacquisition of Mutual Telephone Co. of Manchester 1968 FebruaryDDDPerry 1969 OctoberDDDMonroe district 1971 MarchDalton toll services desk (TDS) conversion/dedication ceremony 1981 OctoberDalton main electronic automatic exchange (EAX) elec- tronic conversion 1982 JanuaryWinder electronic conversion JulyGTSEs 250,000th telephone in- stalled in Georgia (Dalton) 1984 JulyGTSEs first fiber optic in Georgia installed in Montezuma AugustChatsworth digital conversion DecemberMontezuma, Byromville, Ideal digital conversions 155 Georgia Telephone Corporation The Blakely Telephone Company was organized in Blakely in early 1898 by brothers Arthur G. and Wade H. Powell, members of a prominent Blakely fami- ly. The business charter was issued to Arthur G. Powell, R. B. Daniel and Jule Felton. It was owned by the two Powell brothers with Arthur G. Powell serving as president and Wade H. Powell serv- ing as secretary-treasurer. The company, later owned by Mrs. Maude Powell, ex- wife of Wade H. Powell, was sold to their daughter, Mrs. Maude Powell McCabe, in 1943. The first Blakely Telephone Company directory was published in Ju- ly, 1898, with 72 subscribers. Blakely Telephone Company was in- corporated in 1949 with Mrs. Maude Powell McCabe as president, and stockholders were Mrs. Ruth Powell McCalla, Arthur G. Powell, and Wade H. Powell. The original central office equipment was a Kello^ magneto switchboard, and telephone sets were Kellogg and Stromberg-Carlson magneto. The serv- Company President with Administrative Co-ordinators (L to R) Vivian Sammons, Frances Coleman, Betty Hollinhead, Marcile Clarke, Pat Kennedy, Charles DeLoach, and Dennis Lewis. ing area was approximately one square mile. By the end of 1899, lines were ex- tended to surrounding communities in- cluding Cedar Springs, Damascus, Arl- ington, Jakin, and Liberty Hill with pro- bably one telephone per community. In 1950, the magneto equipment was replaced with a modern Stromberg- Carlson XY dial system. In July, 1954, W. Charles DeLoach purchased the company from the Powell family. He continued to operate under the name of Blakely Telephone Com- pany until 1958. At that time, a new cor- poration known as Georgia Telephone Corporation was formed, and the ac- quisition of the Whigham Telephone Company and the Ochlochnee Telephone Company was made. Georgia Telephone Corporation was formed by the following officers: W. Charles DeLoach, president; Gloria Dake DeLoach, vice president; and Bernice Loyless, secretary-treasurer. An expansion program in the late fif- ties made service available to everyone in the certified exchange area which in- cluded most of Early County and part of Grady and Thomas Counties. In 1963 a new exchange was formed in Cedar Springs to provide service to Great Southern Land and Paper Company, a multi-million dollar paper company located on the Chattahoochee River in Early County. The funding for Georgia Telephone Corporation has been provided through a commercial lending corporation. General Dynamics. For many years the company has been an active member of several organiza- tions including Georgia Telephone Association, USTA, and OPASTCO. The DeLoach family continues to own and operate Georgia Telephone Cor- poration at this time. Charlie is a valuable asset and an active participant in GTA positions and activities. Left: Attractive headquarters buildingGeorgia Telephone Corporation. Right: Charles DeLoach who purchased the company in 1954. 157 Glenwood Telephone Company No reliable records are available on the Glenwood Telephone Company located in Glenwood, Wheeler County, prior to 1940. We do know that in January, 1940, W. H. (Harvey) and Odessa Jones purchased an existing telephone exchange. Then on January 2, 1943, they sold the company to Leon B. and Eloise Cox Adams. Glenwood Telephone had 33 subscribers. The one-party residence Leon B. Adams, former owner of Glenwood Telephone Company. rate was $1.50 per month and the one- party business rate was $2.50. Total col- lections for that month were $56. Mr. Adams was bom and raised in Hart County and had traveled all over Georgia and South Carolina with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) dur- ing the war. Mrs. Adams was bom and raised in Alamo, the county seat of Wheeler County. The house occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Jones was part of the purchase because that is where the magneto switchboard was located. Someone had to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to handle the calls, so Mrs. Adams assumed this duty with help from various local ladies including Mrs. Dot McDaniel, Miss Jean Maddox, and a Miss Anderson. Customers not only used the telephone to communicate with their neighbors and do business, but they also used the business office (the front room of the Adams residence) as a place to visit and to keep up with what was go- ing on in the community, as an answer- ing service, and as a way to notify peo- ple who did not have phones of family news and emergencies. While of great benefit to the area, these services fail- ed to provide the necessary funds to operate a struggling telephone company. In order to keep the company in operation, Mr. Adams did electrical work, delivered mail, and did other odd jobs. The only help he had was his old Dodge tmck and, occasionally, a man he hired to help with very hard jobs he just could not do by himself. In September, 1945, the Adams had a daughter, Janice Eloise, and in March, 1953, another daughter, Beverly, was born. Beverly was killed in an automobile accident in September, 1972. The telephone office remained in the Adams home until 1956 when an office was built to house the business office and Stromberg-Carlson XY 120-line configured exchange. The former W. H. Jones homethe original telephone company location now serves as the business office. Following Mr. Adams death in 1982, his daughter, Janice OBrien, took over the management and operation of Glen- wood Telephone. In 1986 the company served 650 customers. Janice is an outstanding example of the many capable women managing in- dependent telephone systems in Georgia. Women, such as Janice, are champions of the industry. Hart County Telephone Company Hart County Telephone Company was established when F. P. Linder purchas- ed the company in 1903. During the for- mative years of the telephone industry, many attempts were made to buy out smaller, unstable independent com- panies who struggled to earn a place for themselves within the developing in- dustry. Through the strong will, convic- tion and determination of F. P. Linder, Hart County Telephone Company sur- vived those hard times to claim a posi- tion within the telephone industry of the early 1900s. Like many other independents, HCTC had progressed from magneto phones to common battery, barely keeping pace with the technological advances of the telephone industry. However, in the ear- ly 1950s it became evident to Spencer and Frank Linderwho succeeded their fatherthat it was no longer feasible to maintain and operate HCTCs 1000 lines with the outdated, manually- operated magneto switching board. The quality of service was beginning to be affected and something had to be done. In 1951 HCTC purchased three com- mon battery, multiple switching boards from Rock Hill Telephone Company. The additional switchboards gave HCTC a limited amount of expansion capabilities and improved service. The change from one magneto board to three common battery boards was an in- termediary switch to be used before HCTC could totally convert to XY dial. In 1956, the Linder brothers signed a contract with Stromberg-Carlson to convert HCTC from its antiquated equipment to XY dial. Spencer and Frank Linder along with their nephews. Jack Barton and William Anderson, began the tedious task of going from house to house converting common bat- tery phones to dial. The job took months, but eventually all Hart County subscribers had dial telephones in their homes. This step would prove to be only the first of many that HCTC would take to improve its service to the Hart County subscriber base. The 1960s and 70s proved to be years of dynamic population growth for Hart County. Hartwell Lake had begun to at- tract not only weekend residents, but also a significant retirement communi- ty, and the impact of increased demands for phone service was already pushing the XY switch to its capacity. Moreover, as HCTC approached the decade of the 80s, the telephone industry itself was undergoing radical changes due to the divestiture of the Bell system. Faced with the immediate demands of a growing subscriber base and the inevitability of a deregulated environment, HCTC mov- ed boldly to meet the challenges that lay ahead. A deregulated telephone industry meant competition; accordingly. Lintel, Inc. was established as a holding com- pany for the subsidiaries emerging to compete in the marketplace. In December, 1982, Hart Communications, Inc. began to provide sales and service of telephone station equipment for both the residential and business communi- ty. Since its inception, HCI has become one of the primary vendors of key systems and PBX equipment for the nor- theast Georgia and Anderson areas and now generates revenues from a wide range of enterprises including pagers, yellow page advertising and a time and temperature service. The real story of the 1980s, however, centers on the decision to upgrade telephone service to HCTCs subscriber base. On October 28,1983, through the 159 collective efforts of Frank, William, Jack and his son, Lee Barton, HCTC signed a contract with Stromberg-Carlson to provide a 120-channel host-to-remote lightwave connection. HCTC was the first independent company to install the newly introduced optical fiber transmis- sion system. The new system linked a 6000-line SYSTEM CENTURY digital central of- fice in Hartwell with a 1080-line switch in Reed Creek, approximately seven miles north of Hartwell. An additional 102 channels were included in the link for protection and expansion capabilities, as well as comprehensive transmission between the two digital central office switches. Later, in 1986, an additional 1080-line switch remote was built in Mt. Olivet, approximately eight miles northwest of Hartwell. 1956"Going Dial" (L-R) Spencer Linder, the late Mayor Shine Carter, and Frank Linder. Signing contract converting to a digital switch and fiber optics. (L-R) Ralph Woodlee, Jesse Lumpkin, Lee Barton, vice president, Jack Barton, executive vice president. Plans were immediately made by William, Frank, Jack and Lee to begin preliminary designs for a new commer- cial office and switching station to house the new Stromberg-Carlson switch. The $2 million project called for a building to be constructed on the property ad- joining the old office. The building was to have over 8,000 square feet of floor space making provision for the new digital central office and projected ex- pansion within the company itself. The building became a reality for HCTC when it opened in mid-July in 1984, while the switching station change-over took place in November of the same year. With the new switch came a variety of improved services, such as speed dialing, call waiting, and automatic traps to deal with illegal nuisance calls. On December 18,1984, the new facili- ty was christened The Linder Building and dedicated to the memories of F. P. Linder and Spencer S. Linder, and in honor of Frank L. Linder. It is in this building that the collective visions of these dedicated men were realized. Hart County Telephone Company has come a long way from its inception in 1903, guided by the devoted manage- ment of the Linders, William Anderson, Jack Barton, and his children, Lee and Lynnan entire family committed to carrying on an 85-year tradition which began at the turn of the century and now stands on the threshold of another. H T C Hawkinsville Telephone Co. About 1909, W. A. Jennings and J. T. King, Sr. decided to venture into the telephone business by purchasing the Milledgeville telephone exchange. Mr. Jennings and Mr. King were brothers- in-law who worked for the Western Union Telegraph Company as construc- tion foreman and straw boss. They took in a third party in this venture. Judge John T. Allen. In 1913, these three partners purchas- ed the Hawkinsville exchange from a Mr. Blasengame and continued the opera- tion of both exchanges for a year or more when the two brothers-in-law became sole owners through the pur- chase of Judge Allens interests. (It is in- teresting to note that the minutes of a 1913 directors meeting record that Mr. Jennings was paid $2.50 per month for the use of his horse, buggy, and harness by the company.) A short time later, they divided the property, with the Jennings family tak- ing over complete ownership of the Hawkinsville property and the King family remaining sole owner of the Milledgeville property. Mr. Jennings, who played a formidable role in early organized independent telephony, died in 1938 leaving the business to several children. About 1947 two sons, W. M. and J. C., purchased the interests of the others. It was also in 1938 that a Kellogg common battery system was installed to replace the old ringdown drop. This vastly improved the quality of telephone service. With a capacity of 800 lines, the switchboard would provide for an in- creased number of subscribers, for changes in local, rural, or toll growth and for other changing conditions. The system was cut over with 260 lines equip- ped, ten toll lines, and ten rural lines. Another milestone was reached in 1954 when Hawkinsville Telephone con- verted to dial service and installed a toll center housed in a new building design- ed to serve the company for the next 40 years. In 1968 it became apparent that the growth of the area was such that the company would be lucky to make 20 years in the building. Plans to expand were initiated; however, it was 1972 before construction actually got under- way on an office adequately designed to fit the companys needs. The cutover of a new electronic swit- ching system was the first Class 4 office in use although the prototype for local switching was designed for Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The system provid- ed direct distance dialing, pushbutton dialing, call forwarding, and many other features. Ownership of the Hawkinsville Telephone Company was passed on to the third generation when W. Mansfield Jennings, Jr. purchased his fathers in- terest in the company in 1971 and his uncles in 1980. W. Mansfield Jennings, III is preparing himself to carry on the tradition by his involvement in all phases of the business. He has participated ac- tively in a number of GTA positions in- cluding serving two terms as president of tbe association. This family operation has added much to GTA as the Jennings family has pro- vided outstanding leadership and Hawkinsville Telephone Company is one of the oldest telephone companies in Georgia. In 1985 the company announced the installation of a new central office swit- ching system to serve its 3,500 customers in Pulaski, Houston, Dodge, Bleckley and Dooly Counties. Cut into service February 23,1985, the Northern Telecom DMS 100/200 is the first part of a three-year plan that calls for in- tegrating fiber optic transmission and digital switching. Hawkinsville Telephone Companys innovative management has equipped it well to meet the challenges of growth, new technology, and changes in the in- dustry today and tomorrow. 161 Lanier to change out his telephone in- struments, independently manufactured by a New York concern, to Bell in- struments and to purchase an electric light board. In 1904 he changed to com- mon battery service, probably the first common battery service established in any office of that size. An interesting story concerns the bat- teries used in this service. Mr. Lanier visited Mr. Thomas A. Edison in his laboratory to discuss with him the bat- tery needs of the new telephone system. Mr. Edison said to him, Young man, my batteries have never been used in a telephone system, but if you install them, you will be gray haired before they come out. Mr. Lanier bought the Edison bat- teries which operated for more than 30 years. In 1911 the company installed a Kellogg five position, full-multiple com- mon battery switchboard and moved in- to a new office building near the Chat- tahoochee River. This was the first building in Georgia designed exclusive- ly to house an independent telephone companys telephone equipment. Bet- ween 1911 and 1950 many equipment changes were made with the constant objective of improved service. In 1950, 2,200 stations were being served, by In- terstate Telephone Company. The 1960s was a period of growth and expansion for Interstate. In 1961 they bought the Valley Telephone Company from West Point Manufacturing. A new building was constructed in 1965 for the main offices, supply department, con- struction department, service center. In the background, James Smith Lanier and in the fore- ground, Thomas C. Lanier, in the office of Interstate Telephone Company, 1912. Note the crane-like attachment on side of desk to swing the telephone from one desk to the other. Interstate Telephone Company In 1895 a visit to the Cotton States Exposition held in Atlantas Piedmont Park inspired a young man from West Point, to return home to introduce the magic of voice communication. Recall- ing the switchboard with three telephones connected to it, J. Smith Lanier engaged two Robinson brothers, who were building West Points first electric light plant, to build a telephone exchange. Built on the magneto grounded line basis, the exchange opened for service in the spring of 1896 with 36 sub- scribers. The exchange was located on the second floor of the Langley Mill Building. A toll line built in 1898 by Southern Belt from Charleston, South Carolina, to Montgomery, Alabama, intersected West Point because of its geographical location. The line foreman for the con- struction crew was W. T. Gentry, who later became president of Southern Bell. Mr. Gentry made it possible for Mr. Four generations of the Lanier family, (L-R) Cam B. Lanier, Jr.. J. Smith Lanier, Cam B. Lanier, Sr.. Cam B. Lanier, III. 162 operator services, and additional XY equipment. Exchanges were establish- ed in Huguley and Shawmut, Alabama. In 1968 the Fredonia, Alabama, ex- change was established. Mobile telephone service and manual paging were also inaugurated. Office remodeling, installation of direct distance dialing and international direct dialing, and cutover of a Stromberg-Carlson ESC PL2 6000-line switch were completed as part of In- terstates $5 million expansion and im- provement program begun in 1976. Huguley, Alabama, got its own construe tion center, and a new centralized ser- vice center greatly increased the com- panys ability to respond to its customers needs. Dial paging was installed in 1984. The following year a Northern digital multiplex system 100/200 switch was added in the West Point office to inter- face all toll and billing services, including automatic credit card dialing. Operator positions were fully automated to furnish prompt customer service. A sad note to this story is the pass- ing of Cam B. Lanier, Sr. on November 9, 1986. Mr. Lanier was a unique and special individual and will be missed as he leaves a trail of many ac- complishments during his years of ser- vice in the telephone industry. Interstate Telephone Company takes great pride in its commitment to pro- gress and believes that dedicated employees are responsible for In- terstates progressive family of com- panies. Five generations of the Lanier family have given the company stability and continuity in its endeavor to pro- vide dependable telephone service. Interstate Telephone Company1965. Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company The Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company was first organized by Mrs. Luther Thomason. There was one swit- chboard at Nelson, which had only three telephones. One of the three telephones was at the depot in Tate, one was at a dry goods store in Ball Ground, and the other one was at the telephone booth in the exchange at Nelson. In 1919, the company was purchas- ed by Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Cook of Fair- mount. At that time, there were less than 50 telephones with two exchanges, one in Ball Ground and one in Nelson. Mr. Cook had no linemen. He climb- ed the telephone poles and did all the repair work with no professional help or any previous training. All the lines were open wire with no cable. As the subscribers increased, there were as many as six to eight parties on one line. Upon recalling this, Mr. Cook once said, When one persons telephone rang, all of them rang, and it would really be a mess. Southern Bell Telephone Company operated one long distance circuit from Marietta. It was set up with a system of ringing for each exchange. It rang twice for Ball Ground and once for Nelson. The first improvements made by Mr. and Mrs. Cook came around 1930. Each exchange was opened at 7:00 a.m and closed at 8:00 p.m. The people were thrilled to death about the good ser- vice. Several' years later, the exchanges were kept open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Business rates at that time were $1.50 and the residence rate was $1, with no tax charged. When the company levied a tax on telephone usage, a number of customers were lost because they refus- ed to pay the increased rate. Doctors Saye, West, McClure, and Hendrix of Ball Ground and Dr. Turk of Nelson began to request individual lines. This brought about the first stage of planning for private lines. The company didnt have a telephone directory. The subscribers would simp- ly pick up the telephone and ask to call McKinneys store, the doctor, or whomever they wanted to talk to. The operator was responsible for keeping all the lines straight. The exchange in Nelson was burned to the ground in 1928. Through the courtesy of Georgia Marble Company in Tate, a small exchange was erected in a few days to replace it. In 1943, on Christmas Eve night, there was a big snow in the area, and all the lines were torn down on Main Street in Ball Ground and Main Street in Nelson. The ground was very wet and the heavy snow that had piled up on the wires caused the poles to be pulled com- pletely out of the ground. On Christmas Day, which was a Sunday, a group of people from Ball Ground, along with another group from Georgia Marble Company, volunteered to reset the poles. All the telephones were back in working order by nightfall. An outstanding event in the history of Georgia telephony occurred when, in 1951, the company switched to dial, and they had a mock funeral for the old crank telephone in front of the new of- fice in Nelson. An Atlanta television sta- tion covered these services. The direc- tor from Baker Funeral Home brought the crank telephone in a little white casket out to the site of the grave. At- torney Guy McKinney, of Ball Ground, was Master of Ceremonies. It was stated that Mr. and Mrs. Cook appeared to be crying during the ceremony. When Mr. Cook passed away in 1958, Mrs. Cook became president of the com- pany. Their son, James Starr Cook, mov- 164 ed to Nelson to become manager. In 1960 new office buildings were erected at Nelson and Marble Hill. North Elec- tric NX2 crossbar equipment replaced tbe North MCXR 1000, board which was moved to the Marble Hill office. EAS service was established between the two offices. Following the death of James S. Cook in 1964, Robert L. Turner became general manager. Since that time, Nelson-Ball Ground has continued to keep pace with growth and changing technology. Some important changes and additions to its facilities since 1966 are: 1966Removed the North MCXR 1000 board at Marble Hill and in- stalled North Electric NX2-A crossbar. 1969Established EAS service from Nelson and Marble Hill ex- changes to Jasper, Canton, and Holly Springs. 1976Installed carrier facilities and assumed responsibility of pro- viding toll and special services from Southern Bell. 1981 Cutover to Vidar digital equipment in both Nelson and Marble Hill exchanges, providing touchtone and custom calling features for the first time. 1982 Vidar remote switch digital equipment was installed in Big Canoe. Big Canoe is a recreational and residential community developed in Dawson and Pickens Counties by a large real estate firm out of Atlanta. The development is served by Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Company and Stan- dard Telephone Company. EAS service connects the two exchanges. 1983 Installed IBM System-34 and LAMA (local automatic message accounting) recording and assumed full recording and billing for all direct dialed calls. 1984 Installed and cut over to new toll cable facilities for toll ser- vice from northern to southern boundaries. Service is also provid- ed through the area for all com- panies north from Blue Ridge Telephone Company south to the companys southern boundary. 1985 2,500 subscribers; digital switching; five Mitel PABXs; com- puterized; ten radio dispatched trucks; fourteen employees; 100 per cent private line service in all areas served. Nelson-Ball Ground Telephone Com- pany is another Georgia independent telephone company keeping alive a pioneer dedication to provide the best possible communications services for its customers. Pembroke Telephone Company, Inc. Pembroke Telephone Company had its inception as Pembroke Telephone and Water Works. U. S. Williams, mayor of Pembroke and owner of the water works, started the company in 1905. The water works was later sold to the city of Pembroke; however, Mr. Williams continued to operate the telephone company until 1940 when his health fail- ed. C. R. Sikes of Glennville purchased the company and renamed it Sikes Telephone Company. Mr. Sikes was an early telephone builder in this section of Georgia who is believed to have had a part in the creation of the telephone exchange at Glennville. Following tours of duty in the United States Army Air Force, Paul and Ivey Beardslee purchased the company from Mr. Sikes and began operation of the Pembroke Telephone Company as of March 31, 1946. At that time the magneto system served 112 stations off of grounded lines. On November 29, 1951, Paul was electrocuted while taking down open lines that he had replaced with cable. A wire went wild two blocks away and hit a power transformer. Ivey elected to continue operation of the company. Her father, U. J. Bacon, and her brother, Gerald C. Bacon, joined her in this endeavor. A Stromberg-Carlson loan secured in 1954 made it possible to purchase and install Stromberg-Carlson equipment to convert to dial service in March, 1955. At that time there were over 300 stations in service. On October 22, 1961, a new dial of- fice was completed using REA funds. This office would also house CAMA (centralized automatic message accoun- ting) trunks to provide DDD (direct distance dialing) service. Pembroke Telephone is recognized as the first in- dependent telephone company in Georgia to furnish this modern service to its customers. Nine hundred stations were served through new outside plant that was 80 percent buried cable. Owners of small telephone companies have traditionally done more than Just manage the operation. For example, a Georgia Telephone Association news bulletin printed in September, 1962, reported that Ivey Beardslee did a vast majority of the office work, as well as trouble shooting for central office equip- ment. Her brother, Gerald, did most of the installations after completing his mail route. Her father, at 70 years of age, was very active in the company and was only slowed down for a few months when a telephone pole fell with him. He was soon back climbing poles. In July, 1974, the Ellabell exchange was established. At the close of that same year 1,650 telephones were in ser- vice. Ten years later the company had moved into the computer age by con- verting to a digital switch in Pembroke. Ivey Beardslee, owner of Pem- broke Telephone Company, may not have climbed poles but she did everything else! 166 Pineland Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Pineland Telephone Cooperative was organized on September 8, 1951, by a group of interested people from Emanuel and Candler Counties. The purpose of the co-op was to merge several small exchanges which had been struggling over the years to serve their communities. An insufficient revenue base prevented proper maintenance and expansion of the system. After a number of meetings, the board of directors approved the purchase of telephone exchanges at Midville, Adrian, Twin City, and Stillmore. Memberships were obtained and equity certificates sold to begin operation of the cooperative. Money to purchase the four exchanges and begin construction of new facilities was made available by a $625,000 REA loan obtained in March, 1952. During its first year of operation, Pineland Telephone purchased the Met- ter exchange from Southeastern Com- pany, which had owned it since 1928. Metter was originally served by the Met- ter Telephone Company, owned and operatd by W. M. New. On April 8, 1919, Mr. New sold the company to W. S. Long, who transferred it to Mrs. W. S. Long on October 8, 1919. On February 6, 1920, Mrs. Long sold the company to Kenneth R. Trapnell. On November 20, 1924, Mr. Trapnell sold Metter Telephone Company to U. S. Jones, who sold to Southeastern Company. During his tenure as secretary of GTA, H. M. Stewart spent considerable time visiting telephone companies across the state. During one such visit the manager of the newly formed Pineland Telephone Cooperative asked whether his organiza- tion would be eligible for GTA member- Above: Director. Past President, Marvin Hartley, shown cut-over to dial of Davisboro exchange. Right: Pineland Telephone Cooperative business office. 167 ship. Mr. Stewart assured him that there were enough problems to share with all who wanted to help and that his firm was eligible for membership under the bylaws of the association. From that day forward, Pineland Telephone has been in the vanguard of association affairs providing able and dedicated leadership in many of its activities. Mr. E. R. Britt was involved in the creation of the cooperative and was named its manager. He was secretary and treasurer of the Georgia Telephone Association at one time. By the end of 1953, Pineland Telephone Cooperative was serving 1,480 stations. The system continued to expand as more exchanges were acquired. As of March, 1982, every subscriber of the cooperative was being served by one-party telephone service with rates that were set in 1975. By the end of 1983, more than 13,000 telephones in ten exchanges served rural communities in Aline, Pulaski, Meeks, Norristown, Scott, Covena, Nunez, Stillmore, Wesley, Garfield, and Coleman Lake. The exchanges are Metter, Adrian, Bar- tow, Cobbtown, Davisboro, Kite, Lex- sy, Midville, Oak Park, and Twin City. The Pineland Telephone Cooperative has stayed abreast of service demands, carried on a steady construction pro- gram, and kept pace with changing technology. A 480 foot tower was con- structed in 1967 in Twin City to facilitate a mobile telephone system and a pag- ing system. Three of its exchanges now have digital central offices with a fourth scheduled for conversion in July, 1987. Mary Searson employed by Pineland for a number of years (now retired) has played an active role in the Peach State Pioneer Club. A. M. (Ben) Bennett, general manager, held various management positions with Southern Bell and Walker County Telephone Company before joining Pineland Telephone Cooperative. He represents Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and the Com- monwealth of Puerto Rico on the Na- tional Telephone Cooperative Associa- tion, and the is an officer and director of the Georgia Telephone Association. A. M. (Ben) Bennett, general manager, 480 foot mobile telephone tower in Twin City. 168 Plant Telephone And Power Company, Inc. The Gleaton family entered the telephone business late in the nine- teenth century when Ben and Lula Gleaton connected a magneto telephone from their home in Doles to the farm home of Lulas parents. After a second line was strung to Bens commissary, neighboring farmers wanted the conve- nience of the telephone and additional lines were strung. A Western Electric switchboard was installed in the com- missary where it was operated for daytime service until 1913 when Ben and Lulas son, Henry Perry, married and moved the system to his home. A hired operator. Marietta Lightfoot, shared the day and evening operation with Ben and Lulaservice was discon- tinued around 10:00 p.m. each evening. In 1919, the Doles telephone opera- tion was sold to Johnny Lee Glddens. Henry Perry Gleaton, his wife Eliza, and five year old son James Perry moved to Warwick where Henry took employment with the Davis Aultman Mercantile Com- pany as clerk-bookkeeper. Nine years later the Gleatons purchas- ed the inoperative Warwick Telephone Company from J. W. Pate. The inven- tory consisted of one Western Electric switchboard no. 1240D, 23 telephones, all telephone poles, and line material in the town of Warwick. Company records indicate the follow- I ing station count in Warwick and Doles. TOTAL STATIONS 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 Residential 20 24 22 13 9 Business 11 13 13 8 4 Party Lines 18 17 15 12 8 In 1932, with the community in need of a power supply, the company petition- ed the city of Warwick for a power fran- chise. The Warwick Power Company was formed and rates filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission. The telephone and power operations were merged and incorporated as the Warwick Power and Telephone Com- pany in 1948. Upon graduation from Warwick High School in 1933, James Perry Gleaton continued his work with the Warwick ex- change, did contract work, and was later employed full-time by Southern Bell Telephone Company. From 1933 to 1935, he commuted from Warwick to Americus and Cordele as a lineman. In September, 1935, he married Allene Grimsley in Americus. That same year, he was transferred to Albany to work in the Bell exchange. 169 Eliza, wife of Henry Perry Gleaton. Warwick became the first independent telephone exchange in Georgia to have automatic dialing in an exchange of less than 100 lines when it was converted to a completely automatic system in 1937. This was a 50 line system with thirty lines of subscribers. The independent company operating today as Plant Telephone and Power Company, Inc. was referred to in E. B. Judge Emreys book as follows: On one of my early visits, I saw for the first time an automatic exchange with less than a hundred lines, and too, I remember that the Bell company had no information upon which to prepare a traffic agree- ment for an exchange of this type for a toll settlement. The Doles Telephone Company had passed from the Gleatons, to Mr. Gid- dens, to Mr. A. P. Dykes. On March 22, 1937, the Gleatons reacquired all equip- ment and lines serving customers firom Building that housed the first dialing system. Warwick, Georgia, 1937, Doles, up Highway 33 to Isabella. Mr. Dykes had discontinued operating the Doles Telephone Company because the general condition of the central office and the outside plant were beyond repair, and there was no money to rebuild. The contract between Southern Bell and the Doles Company was cancelled, and Mr. Dykes informed Southern Bell that the Warwick Telephone Company would serve Doles. Mr. Dykes turned over to H. P. Gleaton all property of the Doles Telephone Company for $50. The main items of property consisted of poles, wire, and telephones, including the line from Doles to Isabella. From 1938 to 1940, James (J. P.) worked for Bell in tbe Camilla area. In 1940, he and his family moved to Tif- ton where he continued to work for Bell and run the family telephone and power operations. The Omega Telephone Company was acquired by J. P. Gleaton in January, 1946, at which time its name was chang- ed to Plant Telephone Company. The name was chosen because at that time, this exchange was located in what was known as the starter plant capital of the world. On December 1, 1948, Plant Telephone was incorporated. In 1949 the Lenox exchange was constructed and commenced operation in the latter part of that year. The Omega and Lenox exchanges were equipped with North Electric automatic dial equipment and had trunk connections with the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company at Tifton, Georgia, for the in- terchange of long distance messages originating or terminating in the areas served by the company. Tifton was chosen as the headquarters site because of its central location to the exchanges, the availability of shipping and banking, the market for personnel, and the fact that Mr. Gleaton had established his home there and liked the Tifton area. Henry Perry Gleaton died on March 9, 1949, leaving the operation of the telephone and power business to his wife Eliza, and his son James. During a six months leave from the Bell company, James was convinced that he should assume full-time management of the Warwick Power and Telephone Com- pany and the Plant Telephone Com- pany, so he left the Bell Company in the fall of 1949. On November 13,1950, Mr. Gleaton purchased from A. F. Fender, the Pear- son and Willacoochee Telephone Com- pany for $1 cash in hand and the assumption of payments on two notes. With the purchase of the Pearson Telephone Company came 129 telephones of various styles and makes, one switchboard located on the second floor of the A. F. Fender building at the corner of North Main and North Railroad Street, all of the poles, telephone lines, wires, crossarms, underground cables, and all fixtures us- ed in connection with the operation of the Pearson Telephone Company. Plant Telephone and Power Com- pany, Inc. was incorporated under the laws of Georgia on October 20, 1951. The corporation was formed for the pur- pose of operating the Warwick Power 170 and Telephone Company, Inc. (which owned and operated facilities for distributing electric power and automatic dial telephone service in War- wick), Plant Telephone Company (which owned and operated automatic dial telephone exchanges in Omega and Lenox), and the P. & W. Telephone Company (which owned and operated magneto type telephones in Pearson and Willacoochee) as an entity. The purpose of the merger of the various companies was to obtain a loan of $110,000 from the Chase National Bank of New York City, enabling the needed expansion of the Pearson and Willacoochee exchanges. An additional $35,000 from this same bank on February 5,1953, enabled the company to further improve and expand the ser- vices in Lenox and Omega. On September 20,1954, J. P. Gleaton purchased the Pinehurst exchange from P. T. Streetman. This exchange was pur- chased by Gleaton personally and was not a part of Plant Telephone and Power Company, Inc. even though his Plant trucks and linemen worked that property on an allocation basis. It was his intention to bring the Pinehurst Company into Plant Telephone and Power Company, Inc. as soon as he received funds and approval from the Rural Electrification Administration. The Chase National Bank loan was us- ed to convert to modern dial telephone service in all the companys exchanges; however, existing facilities were inade- quate to meet the demand for service. A loan contract with the REA executed on March 17,1955, provided money to cover the costs of expanding the service. On March 13,1956, James P. Gleaton negotiated with Mrs. Nora Belle Avery and Otis M. Denton for the purchase of the Soperton Telephone Company and the Denton Rural Telephones of Soper- ton, Treutlen County, at a cost of $65,000, subject to REA and GPSC approval. In order to offset the cost of acquir- ing and modernizing the Soperton ex- change, the existing REA doan was amended to make additional money available. This move required the cor- poration to increase its equity capital by at least $14,000. It just so happened that Mr. Gleaton had purchased property in Tifton with the intention of moving his mother, Eliza Gleaton, there from War- wick. However, his mother, an indepen- dent spirit, decided she would prefer to stay in Warwick among friends she had known most of her life. By this time it had become apparent that the operation of the company had outgrown its head- quarters in the Gleaton home, so Mr. Gleaton sold the Tifton property, ap- praised at $15,500, to the company in exchange for shares of stock. Thus the need for increased capital equity and a new operations center were accomplish- ed. This building would be enlarged in 1962 to make additional space for in- house accounting and in 1969 to accom- modate a computer. The purchase of the Soperton ex- change was finalized in December, 1956. The following year property was purchased on which to erect new ex- change buildings in Soperton, Pearson, and Warwick. During 1958, the growth of the com- panys business was such that its annual operating revenues exceeded $100,000. On September 21,1960, a lot was pur- chased for the purpose of erecting a mobile telephone and paging tower. On March 20, 1961, Mrs. J. P. Gleaton (Allene) became vice president and a member of the board of directors. Also, in the fall of 1961 EAS (extended area service) from Omega to Tifton was in- stalled. In March of that same year a lot was purchased for the purpose of erec- ting a new central office building in Omega. On March 21, 1963, Georgia Power Company and Plant Telephone and Power Company, Inc. entered into a lease agreement for the rights to pro- vide service in Warwick, with an option for Georgia Power to purchase the elec- tric distribution system at the expiration of the 25 year lease. After a successful rate hearing for the Soperton exchange, the board of direc- tors approved a plan to upgrade the Soperton outside plant to one, two, and four party service in November, 1964. On July 26, 1966, a lot was purchas- ed in Lenox for the purpose of erecting the new central office building, and in December, EAS service was establish- ed from Lenox to Tifton. In March, 1967, the project to upgrade the facilities in Lenox was completed. On September 29, 1967, the FCC granted approval to upgrade the mobile telephone operation to an IMTS mobile telephone system. About that time Mr. Gleaton was con- sidering turning over more of the daily administrative duties to other company officials. The untimely death of his wife, Allene, in 1969 suspended his plans, and the company remained status quo for a year or so. In 1970, Plant filed with the GPSC for authority to construct and operate a toll line between Pearson and the boundary line of the Way cross exchange of Southern Bell. A milestone for Plant was reached that same year, when the 5000th telephone was installed in Willacoochee. Only ten years earlier, the company had 2,409 telephones with a total investment of $1,094,500. At the end of 1970, the company had 5,188 telephones in service with a total invest- ment of $3,464,026. At that time Mr. Gleaton projected that the company would reach a goal of 10,000 phones by 1980. By the end of 1970 the Omega ex- change had been converted to one, two, and four party service. In November, 1970, Mr. Gleaton married Betty Goes. Mrs. Gleaton left her employment with the State Merit System the following February and became active in the telephone business as secretary and ad- ministrative assistant to Mr. Gleaton. On August 10,1971, Betty A. Gleaton was elected vice president. In December Mr. Gleaton announced that Fred L. Bailey would become vice president and general manager of the company to ease the burden of the daily work from Mr. Gleaton. Mr. Gleaton remained active as the companys president, devoting his attention to affairs of finance, regula- tions, and connecting company relations. The period 1972-1974 was another significant period in the history of Plant Telephone. In January, 1972, the com- pany was the fifth telephone company to qualify for a loan from the new Rural Telephone Bank. Plant Telephone had petitioned the GPSC for additional toll facilities in the Warwick exchange in March, 1973. On September 22, 1975, the new toll line was cut into service. This was also a sad time for the company, as one of its founders and a member of the board of directors, Mrs. H. P. (Eliza) Gleaton, died in April, 1975. She was a pioneer in the telephone industry in Georgia, whose contribution to the company was sorely missed. On January 20, 1978, the Lenox ex- change was converted to 100 percent one-party. In March, 1978, the president and founder of Plant Telephone and Power Company, Inc., James Perry Gleaton, died after a long and difficult illness. Betty A. Gleaton was named president of the company on March 15, 1978. After the passing of Mr. Gleaton, 171 the company continued on much the same basis as envisioned by him. New board members, Danny E. Sterling mar- ried to Beverly Gleaton Sterling, Robert W. Hayes, and W. Mansfield Jennings were elected on May 19,1978. On June 8, 1978, Howard W. Hall was elected vice president. The beginning of a new technical era for Plant Telephone began in 1979. In April, the first digital switch was ordered for the Wcirwick exchange. The Nor- thern Telecom DMS-10 switch arrived in December and was placed into ser- vice on February 19, 1980. This new technology allowed Plant to offer rural customers an assurance of quality ser- vice and telephone features usually of- fered in metropolitan areas. In April, the Pinehurst exchange was converted to all one-party service, and in May rates were approved for one-party service in War- wick. Prior to the installation of a digital switch in Soperton, a conduit system was installed in July to protect the large cables running parallel to Third Street and to offer easy accessibility for maintenance and repair. Another milestone was reached in 1980, when the company was proud to have achiev- ed Mr. Gleatons goal of 10,000 phones by-1980. On October 4, 1980, a party was held for all the employees to com- memorate this momentous occasion. On December 12,1980, property was acquired and loan funds established for the construction of a new headquarters building. The company views 1981 and 1982 as the end of one era and the beginn- ing of another in the telephone and telecommunications industries. It was clear that whatever the outcome of various pieces of federal legislation and FCC hearings, the telephone industry was in an era of full-fledged competition with other suppliers of equipment and services. An all-out effort was launched to meet the challenges of continued growth, de- mand for more sophisticated services, mounting complexities of new technology and regulatory practices. In August, 1982, Plant completed two years and over 55 miles of major con- struction to convert the Warwick ex- change to all one-party as part of an ongoing effort to convert all seven ex- changes to one-party digital central of- fices. The next few years were monumental years for Plant. With the first digital switch installed, preparations for the next switch for the Soperton ex- change were in the works. On May 3, 1982, the move to the new headquarters building was accomplished. By 1983 it was obvious that the telephone industry was entering a period of change. Plant Telephone found itself in the unique situation of having its headquarters located in a Southern Bell territory. In addition to offering new ser- vice to its own customers. Plant Telephones location enabled the com- pany to offer its services to anyone desir- ing to take advantage of the deregulated environment. For the job security of its employees and to keep abreast of the needs of the customers. Plant decided to create a deregulated, affiliated companyPlant Telecommunications Sales & Services, Inc. Construction of a major highway cor- ridor in the Pearson and Willacoochee exchanges inspired Plant to seek an alternative which would avoid inevitable and repeated cable cuts. To prevent long distance outages caused by cable cuts and to improve toll transmission. Plant Telephone and Southern Bell coor- dinated the design and installation of a digital microwave system. At the annual meeting of the stockholders and the board of directors, held on October 3, 1983, Danny E. Sterling was voted to the position of vice president and general manager. Meanwhile, the job of upgrading all the central offices continued. After per- forming a feasibility study to determine the most economical way to serve a great portion of the customers in the outly- ing areas of the Soperton exchange, it was determined that a remote switch site 172 would be the most cost effective way to provide new services. The Soperton ex- change was converted to a DMS-10 switch on September 15, 1983. The remote switch was cut over on December 5, 1984. By the first part of 1984, a new switch had been ordered for the Omega exchange. On September 14,1984, after five years and nearly 65 miles of major, in-house construction, the Omega exchange was converted to one-party, and the installation of a digital switch was completed. After six years and over 250 miles of construc- tion, the major work in the Soperton ex- change project was completed. In April, 1985, the Soperton exchange was con- verted to all one-party. Another first for Plant was the installation of 3.73 miles of fiber optics cable in the Pinehurst exchange. On September 30, 1985, Plant com- pleted the installation of it fourth digital switch in the Pearson exchange. This Pearson switch was designed to include a remote switch in Axson to serve the rural customers through the host office in Pearson. Throughout the telephone system. Plant Telephone has seven switching sites and serves 6,489 customers in all or part of nine counties in south Georgia. An ongoing responsibility of manage- ment continues to be the welfare of the companys most valuable asset, the 52 employees of the company, with a total of 530 years of employment. The management and key operations people attend annual management con- ferences which serve as a training ground for improving skills, provides a forum for an exchange of ideas, and develops a sense of team participation. Through the affiliation of Plant Telecommunications Sales and Services, Inc., the company enjoys the environ- ment of regulated and non-regulated opportunities. Plant Telephones base is in rural America which continues to grow in im- portance as the bread basket of the world. As technology has an even greater impact on America, it creates an urgent need for more effective com- munications and information systems. Plant is most fortunate to be firmly established in the new world-wide expan- sion of communications and information handling. Plant Telephone and Power Company, Inc. Tifton, Georgia1982. 173 Planters Telephone Cooperative, Inc. Planters Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc. has its headquarters in Newington. Fred W. Hodges has serv- ed as manager of the company for a number of years. Fred, a very capable and experienced businessman, heads up both the Planters Rural Telephone Cooperative and the Bulloch County Telephone Co-op, a situation unique in the state. The incorporators of Planters Rural Telephone Cooperative held their first meeting at the Jenkins County Cour- thouse on July 6,1950. In March, 1951, the directors completed the purchase of the Effingham Telephone Company, which included two exchanges at Guyton and Pineora. At the same time, negotia- tions were proceeding for a loan from the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) telephone program to build a new system to cover Screven County and to expand the project to Effingham Coun- ty as soon as possible. At the annual meeting of members on August 14,1952, it was announced that REA funds would soon be available to construct 100 miles of telephone line and to install necessary switching equip- ment. This expansion would eventually serve approximately 1,000 members. Most of the planned facilities were put into service during 1955, and in July, 1956, a total of 699 subscribers were in service in Screven and Effingham Coun- ties with almost 200 more waiting for service. The 1960s saw a steady growth and improvement in the system as underground cable was installed and new switching equipment was put into service in new central office buildings. In 1962 a new headquarters building was built in Newington, and a warehouse was added several years later. At the end of 1966, 2,001 subscribers were being serv- ed throughout the area. A major step was taken to provide all one-party service, and the last exchange was upgraded in late 1976. At that time. Planters was serving 3,613 subscribers. In late 1986, there were 4,985 subscribers being served. Plans are to have all digital switching in place throughout the system to continue to provide the best possible service at the lowest possible rate. Helping make all the accomplishments possible through the years. Planters Telephone has been fortunate to have had loyal and dedicated employees who have given the extra efforts necessary to get the job done. The directors who have served over the years have provided guidance and belief in the goals of rural telephony, and they are acknowledged as a critical part of the successes of the cooperative. 174 Progressive Rural Telephone Co-op, Inc. A group of 15 men met on January 28, 1953, in Dudley for the purpose of organizing and incorporating a telephone cooperative to furnish telephone service to citizens in portions of Laurens, Dodge, Bleckley, Wilkinson, and Wheeler Counties. The names and addresses of the incorporators were: Vernon Alligood, Dudley, Georgia J. W. Bailey, Chester, Georgia P. M. Burch, Chester, Georgia J. E. Chambliss, Rentz, Georgia W. B. English, Montrose, Georgia J. B. Fordham, Jr., Dublin, Georgia A. 0. Hadden, Rentz, Georgia L. K. Keen, Cadwell, Georgia Gordon A. Lord, Dudley, Georgia James R. Malone, Dexter, Georgia L. K. Smith, Cadwell, Georgia Fred Webster, Chester, Georgia Harris B. Williams, Danville, Georgia C. J. Burch, Rentz, Georgia Robert W. Williams, Jr., Jeffersonville, Georgia Progressive Rural Telephone Co-op, Inc. was the name given to the cooperative, which suggests its intention to provide progressive, modern telephone service to the sparsely settl- ed communities. Officers elected were President C. J. Burch, Vice President L. K. Keen, Treasurer W. B. English, and Secretary J. B. Fordham, Jr. Steps were taken to purchase or ob- tain options on exchanges in Dexter, Rentz, Cadwell, Chester, and Dudley. The incorporators agreed to postpone obtaining membership certificates and right-of-way easements until the cooperative secured options on at least half of these exchanges. By the second meeting of the incor- porators in February, 1953, negotiation for the purchase of the Dexter exchange was pending, and a three month option on the Chester exchange had been granted by its owner, J. D. Jackson. L. L. Maddox, owner of the Rentz and Cadwell exchanges, required a $250 pay- ment for an option on his properties. This money was raised when ten of the men agreed to loan the cooperative $25 each. Robert W. Williams, Jr. was appointed coordinator for the cooperative to super- vise its day-to-day activities. The board also agreed to recommend to REA that it be allowed to use the J. B. McCrary Engineering Corporation to make a commercial survey of the area the cooperative intended to serve. The Georgia Public Service Commis- sion approved the purchase of the Cadwell, Chester, and Rentz exchanges in May, 1953. The Dexter exchange was merged with the cooperatie that same year when it was purchased from Cy Dozier. Sometime later the Dudley ex- change was acquired from a Mr. Dominy. In August, 1956, Leland E. Wells was employed as manager of the company. Jarrell J. Colter, chief maintenance supervisor since 1957, became manager in July, 1959. He remained manager un- til he yielded to medical disability in 1977. C. A. Graham, president, manag- ed the company until February 13, 1978, when Charles Edward Mullis assumed the position of manager. As of March, 1987, Progressive Rural Telephone Co-op, Inc. serves 3,207 mainstations with digital equipment in five exchanges. A sixth exchange will be cut over in Cedar Grove in June, 1987. 175 Public Service Telephone Company Public Service Telephone Company was incorporated on March 30, 1954, with the home office in Reynolds, Taylor County, Georgia. Up until that time, the five exchanges were known as the Reynolds Telephone Company, the Roberta Telephone Com- pany, the Lizella Telephone Company, the Butler Telephone Company and the Culloden Telephone Company. The Reynolds Telephone Company was the first. The actual date it became the property of the Bond family is not known. All records and history of the telephone company were lost in a cen- tral office fire in Roberta in 1939. All of the details are word of mouth. The telephone company has several old contracts with Southern Bell. The earliest one is dated 1912, signed by H. C. (Hiram) Bond, establishing the ex- istence of the Reynolds Telephone Com- pany. A contract dated 1923 confirms the existence of the Roberta and Lizella exchanges. The contract dated January, 1929, shows the addition of the Butler exchange, and on September 23,1928, the Culloden exchange was in existence. The Roberta Telephone Company originally belonged to H. A. (Howard) Bond, brother to H. C. (Hiram) Bond and was later purchased from him by Hiram. Hiram worked at Peeler Hard- ware Company in Macon before begin- ning his telephone career. He was mar- ried to Bessie Marie Moore and they had three children, Wilhelmina, Mabel and H. C., Jr. Hiram worked at the Reynolds and Roberta exchanges while Bessie was raising the family in Macon. She realiz- ed the opportunity to purchase the Lizella exchange and literally saved money in a small container at home in order to make the purchase. After the purchase, she would transport the con- struction crew out to the job site in her automobile. Meals were prepared for the crew at home and taken to them by a young member of the family. In July, 1926, financing was obtain- ed to rebuild the toll lines from Reynolds to the Macon city limits, composed of three circuits of 104 copper wire and strung on cypress poles. Local lines were grounded circuits of iron wire on juniper telephone poles. The juniper poles were cut by hand in a Talbot coun- ty swamp, carted back to the work place and there cleaned and prepared as necessary to be used as telephone poles. H. C. Bond Jr., began his telephone career with his mother and father, mov- ing from Macon to Reynolds in 1927. Prior to that time he worked with the railroad at the Terminal Station in Macon. He married Mintie Theus of Butler, and they had two children, Don and Barbara. In the late 1930s, most of the time was consumed in changing the grounded circuits to metallic circuits to eliminate the noise generated by new electric co- op lines (made possible by the advent of the REA program). During WWII, employees were hard to come by and everyone had to pitch in. Many hours were spent at the swit- chboard by the Bond family. H. C. would work all day on the line, come home at the end of the day, eat supper, and go directly back to the switchboard to work all night. Mintie Bond tells of the time she went to Roberta to work the swit- chboard and did not return home for several months. H. C. Bond spent the 1950s obtain- ing REA financing and completely rebuilding the system. He replaced the magneto equipment with dial equip- ment, extended service into the rural areas, and rebuilt the toll facilities. After completing college and serving in the U. S. Army Signal Corps, Don Bond, son of H. C. and Mintie, return- ed to work at the telephone company. He married Beverlyn Evans of Atlanta, and they had three children, Kelly, Jim and Jean Marie. 1974(L-R) Jerry Stoddard, President South Carolina Telephone Association, Don Bond. President Georgia Telephone Association. 176 On January 1, 1964, a severe ice storm left 100 poles laying on the ground. The transition to buried plant began at that time. The advent of microwave radio in the late 1960s allow- ed the offering of 1 -i- dialing to the area. In 1973, Don Bond became president of the company. A short while later, H. C. Bond passed away. Public Service Telephone Company acquired Utelwico, Inc. in 1978. Utelwico, Inc., was a privately owned telephone company which served Geneva and Talbotton, a territory ad- joining Public Service Telephone Com- pany on the northwest comer. The com- pany came about years ago when the late C. W. Charlie Moore of Junction City installed telephone service in Walter McDonald, Alan Chapel, "Mac" McWorter (sitting) H. C. Bondcelebrating cutover to dial. Talbotton. The company was later pur- chased by C. L. Battle. He had planned to serve the community with electrici- ty, water and ice. Mr. Battle organized a corporation in November, 1926, and named it the United Telephone Water and Ice Company, which was subse- quently shortened to Utelwico, Inc. (pro- nounced You-tell-we-co). C. L. Battle successfully operated the telephone and ice business. Fire destroyed the ice plant, and it was never rebuilt. Mr. Cull Battle brought his son, Tom, to Talbotton in February, 1930, to help rebuild the telephone system after it was almost totally destroyed by an ice storm. Tom planned to return to the grocery, mercantile and hardware business owned by his father in Ellaville after completing the service restoral; however, he remained in Talbotton where he still resides. In 1956 the system was totally rebuilt to offer dial service. In 1970, the open- wire construction was replaced with buried cable. Utelwico, Inc., was dissolv- ed and merged into the Public Service Telephone Company in late 1984. In the 1980s, a CATV (cable televi- sion) system was constructed in Butler, Reynolds, and Roberta. The acquisition of the Buena Vista Cablevision system followed a short time later. The Flint Cable TV, Inc. presently serves 1,000 subscribers. The future of Public Service Telephone Company looks very bright. It is anticipated that the children of Don and Beverlyn will return to the company to be a part of its future. Public Service Telephone Company1954 conversion to dial(l-R) Lev/is Andrews, plant manager: Willie Gaultney, lineman; Cecil Sanders, lineman. 177 7-0^^ o/tie 7T^-Z Copy of the original contract between Reynolds Telephone Company and Southern Bell dated November 11th. 1912, .a 'Of a,. '^sar, '^7ecA fe/A.I ^PeplPooe S tie ,-'fiSeA - ' f ba'^ tV or *. t' A//T*erf x;r4o <'/ .?' ^ -. ' oj, '"VJjj, tiif., ^ ^^ien^Pdf, '*^t4 I ^Oflb. ^ "0 a , So , '* > <4e^ j. 1 ^Ofl .feoo. S?o?' /a" '''.Ja. iSf' -o.. 0(Ii/ * * , _ in*.' *>a. s t^Pifty^ oa th ^ toif A^r tie ; 'Pen *^Uou .... 1 .'0 Vco'o^ '"'S5H?24S& "oj^ -'%SU'i'-'"i! v'S" *;". ' 4 4r''*. '-'s .4^ OSO/o * '! .. , .. ^atti. ^ ajfl/., aerr, * 'er 0 - -i'Mo. "lo ' '47' e n ""c;4 ,""*? ? '^*04^ **a erp; '"P. rZ "o Kj *'4< oae ;-a-(j // ^ K . t,j. r'^ee : 'ppa, :WI SMSlS^ggSfe 'Pf ti at {. ^ ot tAi ' . "!f *'^0^21 '^d .'of ti''^of t/, ** oofSoo'<4^oa"?i.?"'!V*o.'"' On November 11, 1912, an exchange contract was signed between Southern Bell and Reynolds Telephone Company (now Public Service Telephone Company). A copy of that contract, shown here, indicates that it was a renewal of the same or simular contract dated 1910. l i''"-"., >' T>fe oa 45^^^ > .a.2'o,,j^ '= tBi* ^Oft h.. *8/(f _ Po 'Of^a ""?1'''^'*'4, o