The First Telephone Exchange was a historic site located in New Haven, Connecticut, notable for being the site of the world's first commercial

telephone exchange A telephone exchange, telephone switch, or central office is a telecommunications system used in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or in large enterprises. It interconnects telephone subscriber lines or virtual circuits of digital syst ...

. The exchange was established by George W. Coy, proprietor of the District Telephone Company of New Haven, in 1878. Coy had built the world's first commercial telephone switchboard, and with investors Herrick P. Frost and Walter Lewis, had established the District Telephone Company of New Haven in January 1878. The company soon grew quickly, servicing much of southern New England. In 1882, the company renamed to Southern New England Telephone (SNET). The company remained independent until it was acquired by

SBC Communications The history of AT&T dates back to the invention of the telephone. The Bell Telephone Company was established in 1877 by Alexander Graham Bell, who obtained the first US patent for the telephone, and his father-in-law, Gardiner Greene Hubbard. Bell ...

in 1986. The site of the First Telephone Exchange, which was located in New Haven's Boardman Building, was listed as a National Historic Site on January 29, 1964. In 1968, the New Haven Redevelopment Commission acquired the building with the intentions of tearing it down and building a parking garage in its place. The building was demolished in 1973 and the site was stripped of its NRHP designation that same year.

History

Mechanic and inventor George Willard Coy attended a lecture by

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

at New Haven's Skiff Opera House on April 27, 1877. Coy, who had developed the world's first commercial telephone switchboard, was inspired by Bell's discussion of a

for business and trade. On November 3, 1877, Coy applied for (and received) a franchise from the

Bell Telephone Company The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company – the New Englan ...

for New Haven and Middlesex Counties, Connecticut on the agreement that Bell would own 35% of the company. Coy partnered with investors Walter Lewis, who was the superintendent of the New Haven Clock Company, and businessman Herrick Frost to establish the District Telephone Company of New Haven on January 15, 1878. On January 28, operating from the Boardman Building in New Haven, the company established the world's first telephone exchange. The company entered operation with just 21 customers, but by February 21, the number of subscribers had reached 50. On February 21, the company made history by printing what is now known as the first ever telephone directory. The company soon grew quickly; by 1880 it had obtained the rights to serve all of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. The company was renamed to Connecticut Telephone, which was changed to Southern New England Telephone (SNET) in 1882. SNET continued to operate in Southern New England for over 100 years before being acquired by

in 1986. SBC would later acquire AT&T in 2005. The Boardman Building was designated a National Historical Landmark on January 29, 1964. By 1968, the Boardman Building (which by this point was known as the Metropolitan Building) was acquired by the New Haven Redevelopment Agency with the intention of demolishing it and building a parking garage in its place. The Metropolitan Building was ultimately demolished in 1973, and its NRHP listing was removed that same year.

History

References

See also