The Livingston Telephone Company
Livingston, Polk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Polk County's oldest public utility, the Livingston Telephone Company was organized Aug. 3, 1903, with S.H. Smith as president. The locally owned, independent telephone exchange operated a 24-hour switchboard on the second floor of a building at 315 N. Jackson. the system started with 40 hand-cranked telephones in service. By the time creosoted poles were installed in 1909, there were 124 telephones in use. In 1959 the exchange was converted to a fully automatic dialing system. (1985)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Organized on August 3, 1903, the Livingston Telephone Company became Polk County's oldest public utility, a locally owned exchange running a 24-hour switchboard above a downtown building. It began with just 40 hand-cranked telephones, growing to 124 by the time creosoted poles went up in 1909. In 1959 the exchange finally converted to fully automatic dialing.
Why it matters
Independent local telephone companies like this one wired rural America into the modern age, one hand-cranked line at a time.
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Related people
- · S. H. Smith
Themes & tags
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