Connections Museum, Telecommunications museum in Georgetown, Seattle, United States.
The Connections Museum is a telecommunications museum in Seattle displaying large collections of telephones, switching systems, and communication equipment spanning different technological eras. The exhibition covers everything from early telephone models to complex electromechanical switching systems that once ran telephone networks across the region.
The museum was founded in 1985 by Pacific Northwest Bell employees to preserve vintage switching systems after AT&T's monopoly ended. The collection documents how telecommunications technology enabled connections between people across the region over many decades.
The museum displays working switching systems that demonstrate how communication methods evolved over time. You can see how people connected with each other in earlier decades and what equipment made those connections possible.
The museum is located in a former telephone switching building and is accessible for wheelchair users. It is helpful to check the website for current visiting hours and any guided tours that might be available, as opening times can vary.
Three of the museum's switches — the 1923 Panel Switch from Seattle's RAinier/PArkway exchange, the 1942 No. 1 Crossbar from the LAkeview exchange and the 1976 3ESS from Crosby — are the only working examples of their type left in the world. A computer program places simulated calls through them continuously to keep the machinery exercised.
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