Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum, Telecommunications museum in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The Frank H. Woods Telephone Museum was a repository of telephone technology history, displaying a broad collection of telephones, switchboards, and communication devices from different eras. The exhibits documented the evolution from early mechanical systems to more advanced technologies.
The museum was founded in 1996 with grants from the Independent Telephone Pioneers Association and funding from Aliant Communications, remaining operational until 2018. It was connected to the early history of the independent telephone industry, particularly through the founder of Lincoln Telephone Company.
The museum honored telephone operators who manually connected calls through switchboards, serving as essential links in the communication network. These workers were visible figures in everyday life and vital to how the telephone system functioned.
The museum offered free admission and was open on Sunday afternoons, with retired telephone workers providing free educational guided tours. Visitors could learn from the firsthand knowledge of these long-time professionals who shared direct experience from the telephone industry.
The museum preserved a replica of Frank Woods' office, founder of Lincoln Telephone Company, who challenged telephone industry monopolies in the early 1900s. This reconstruction offered a personal glimpse into the life of an entrepreneur who shaped the independent telephone industry.
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