Kerrville Telephone Company
Kerrville, Kerr County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A.C. Schriner and D.H. Comparette, Sr., started the Kerrville telephone exchange in 1896 with a handshake and $1,000. The first connection was between two Schreiner wool warehouses, and other businesses soon applied for service. In 1898, lines were extended from Kerrville to Rocksprings, Harper, Junction, and Medina. Many local ranches served as toll stations, a practice that continued until the 1950s. Incorporated in 1907, the Kerrville Telephone Company functioned for over a century as one of the few family owned and operated telephone companies in Texas. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1896, A. C. Schriner and D. H. Comparette sealed a deal with a handshake and $1,000 to start Kerrville's telephone exchange, first linking two wool warehouses before other businesses clamored to join. Within two years lines stretched to Rocksprings, Harper, Junction, and Medina, with remote ranches serving as toll stations well into the 1950s. Incorporated in 1907, the family-run company operated for more than a century.
Why it matters
It captures how a new communications technology stitched together the isolated ranches and towns of the Texas Hill Country.
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Related people
- · A. C. Schriner
- · D. H. Comparette, Sr.
Themes & tags
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