Prairie Grove Airlight Outdoor Telephone Booth, telephone booth installed at the southwest corner of East Douglas and Parker Streets in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, in the United States
The Prairie Grove Airlight Outdoor Telephone Booth is a metal and glass telephone booth built around 1960 and located at the corner of East Douglas and Parker Streets. Standing just over 7 feet tall on a concrete base with an aluminum roof, it houses an old-style telephone on a shelf and a fluorescent ceiling light so calls could be made at any time of day.
The booth was installed around 1960 near a motel and state park to serve travelers and visitors needing quick phone access, and it was one of four original booths installed by the local phone company but remains the only one still standing today. The design was created by American Telephone and Telegraph in the 1950s as the first weatherproof metal outdoor telephone booth, making public phones more available beyond indoor buildings.
The name Airlight refers to its aluminum and glass design, meant to be lightweight and weather-resistant for outdoor use. This booth served as a simple but essential meeting point for travelers and locals who needed to make calls while moving through town.
The booth is located at a busy corner next to a motel and is easy to spot and reach from the street, making it convenient for passersby. Since it is now primarily a historical landmark, visitors should note that while it remains accessible for viewing, its use as a working phone service is limited.
It is one of only two working Airlight booths remaining in Arkansas and the first outdoor telephone booth to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. A car crash in 2014 damaged it severely, but community members restored it carefully by replacing broken glass and straightening bent metal parts.
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