The American Museum of Telephony, known as the JKL Museum of Telephony, is a private

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

and telephone memorabilia museum originally located in

Mountain Ranch, California Mountain Ranch (formerly, El Dorado and El Dorado Town) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 1,628 at the 2010 census, up from 1,557 at the 2000 census. The town is registered as Cali ...

. The museum was destroyed in 2015 in the

Butte Fire The Butte Fire was a rapidly moving wildfire during the 2015 California wildfire season that started on September 9 in Amador County, California. The fire burned . The fire started at 2:26 P.M. on Wednesday, September 9, just east of Jackso ...

and is now located near Santa Cruz. It is open only for guided tours by appointment.

History

The museum was registered in 1999 and takes its name from its founder, John K. La Rue, whose collection originally formed its basis. The museum's collection, drawn from all over the world and dating back to the 1870s, has included switching equipment, military equipment, batteries, prototypes, and telephone memorabilia such as directories, in addition to working handsets of all eras. Founded in Mountain Ranch, in the Sierra foothills, it was destroyed in the Butte Fire on September 10, 2015. The museum has been reestablished in

Aptos Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") is an unincorporated town in Santa Cruz County, California. The town is made up of several small villages, which together form Aptos: Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, Aptos Village, Cabrillo, Seacliff, Rio del Mar, and S ...

, with the collection being rebuilt. Curators have included Wayne Merit and Remco Enthoven.

References

External links

* Telephone museums Telecommunications museums in the United States History museums in California Museums in Santa Cruz County, California 1999 establishments in California Museums established in 1999 {{California-museum-stub