1920s Switchboard

Contributed by Skyler Zenisek

About this object

Until the 1960s, telephone switchboard operators worked at desks like this connecting calls by hand. Skilled operators memorized plug locations and could quickly join the correct lines. In large commercial settings,banks of desks sat in rows, wired together through openings on the side panels. if you look into the side of this desk, you can see the many wires required to connect callers.

Why this object matters

These Desks often sat in banks and were integral to connecting telephone calls. They also provided one of the earliest entrances for women into the modern industrial workforce in the early 1920s

Dublin Core

Originating Archive Object

Monroe County Historical society MCHS Accession

Title

1920s Switchboard

Subject

Switchboard

Description

This desk allowed telephone operators to connect callers to their destination via a switchboard

Creator

Unknown

Contributor

Skyler Zenisek

Date

circa 1920

Type

Physical Object