TELEPHONES
OF INDEPENDENT TELEPHONE COMPANIES:
REPRESENTATIVE MODELS
Since
the first successful model of the telephone in 1876, many companies
began to manufacture telephone units. Bell vigorously fought patent
infringements and in doing so, even acquired infringing companies
and their equipment. After many of the Bell patents expired in
1894 giving rise to a great many independent telephone manufacturing
companies. A great many were in existence only a short time and
others became acquired through merger by more prosperous companies.
Some of the best known larger telephone manufacturing companies
include the Kellogg Switchboard and Telephone Company, Stromberg-Carlsen
Telephone Manufacturing Company, North Electric and the Automatic
Electric Company.
Below
can be found photographs and some information on many of the earlier
phones found within the independent telephone systems.
Interested in
old telephones? Check out the Antique
Telephone Collectors Association
