1914: THE TRENTON BELL TELEPHONE BUILDING

A landmark building. This 100 year old article from the Trenton Times shines a little known light on just a bit of the battle of Trenton. Those of us who are familiar with the Trenton of the 20's through the early 1950's will agree that the Bell Telephone building was one of our "sky scraper" landmarks. It is interesting to know that the plaque illustrated above, along with a cannoball from the battle, were proudly displayed by that grand old lady all of us old timers know as the much missed, late, lamented "Ma Bell." Remember those olive green Bell utility trucks? Remember party lines? Remember Bell operator sitting side by side at the huge console, earphone-speakers on their heads, as they plugged into that console to complete a call? But most of all, do you remember when you made a phone call, the person on the other end of the line answered the phone......with no voice mail?

1914: HISTORIC PLAQUE ON THE HISTORIC TRENTON BELL TELEPHONE BUILDING

That great old Bell Telephone building is a very familiar site to those of us who recall the buildings in the city of Trenton of the mid 20th century and before. Today, the cityscape is completely different as large, glass encrusted office building replace many of the old Trenton landmarks. The Bell building has survived.

1936: TRENTON NEW TELEPHONE SETUP

How very archaic! This graphic was posted a few years ago, but it bears repeating. It shows two telephone operators at their switchboard, laboring all day answering and forwarding phone calls. The photo can now be classified as an historic and ephemeral memory of an era that will never return. How I miss that olive green New Jersey Bell Telephone truck as he responded on the SAME DAY to a telephone problem. I am hearing that the home telephone as we know it is fast becoming as extinct as the passenger pigeon. Not in the Glover household, thank you. I still want to be able to press a butting the size of my fingers and listen on a phone that has a speaker that fits the ear, and a transmitter that lines up with my mouth. As you might imagine, yes, I have a cell phone, but only use it for a possible on the road emergency breakdown so I can call AAA.

1913: N.J. BELL TELEPHONE BUILDING; A TRENTON "SKY SCRAPER"

That old building is a landmark in downtown Trenton, reminding us old timers of the years when the familiar olive drab Bell Telephone trucks were hard at work servicing the community. I really miss "Ma Bell" and the very prompt and straightforward service the company provided to the community. We always believed that Bell employees were chosen very carefully with special emphasis on quality workmanship, prompt service and most importantly, courteous service.

JoeZ said...
Tom I remember going with my mother downtown to pay her phone bill there. There was so much to see and do back then. Thanks for the pictures.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010