The telephone was introduced to the world after Alexander Graham Bell made his historical first phone call to his assistant and said the words, “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” In speaking those words, Bell launched the telephone era with the first bi-directional electronic transmission.
In 1880, Florida's first telephone exchange opened in May. Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company with a total of 34 subscribers. Popularity for telephone exchange grew and by 1897 the first long distance line from Jacksonville to Georgia was established at a rate of 85 cents for three minutes. Southern Bell bought out most of the small regional lines in Florida and by 1955, they established over one million lines in the state of Florida. Long distance calls were made through what is called a telephone board; calls traveled by a coil of wire that was placed along a line every 6,000 feet or so, greatly diminishing attenuation in the range of frequencies suitable for voice transmission.
As of 1947, Southern Bell established the area code system. It was called the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and included both the United States and Canada. States and provinces had a single area code that was three digits long, with zero as the middle number. There were 86 area codes at that time. The first and third digits of the number were assigned according to the population density in the city or region the area code was going to, with the most populated areas assigned the lowest numbers.
The rationale for this “low number/high population” scheme was based on the fact that phones had rotary dials in those days. Lower numbers resulted in shorter “dial pulls” so it was reasoned that the regions with the most people in them should require the least “work” to call.
Florida's original area code was 305 in 1947; Madison used to be under the area code 904.
A long distance telephone board is on display at the Treasures of Madison County museum, along with a phone book for Cherry Lake from 1945. In a glass case, there are several different types of telephones, giving individuals a look at the timeline for how telephones looked throughout history.
Come take a look at the telephone display at the Treasures of Madison County museum, located at 200 SW Range Ave. The museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.