Sulphur Telephone Exchange

Sulphur's First Telephone Exchange

In 1900, using the telephone in Sulphur was much more exciting than it is today. The pushing of tiny buttons the size of a pencil eraser tip is not as thrilling as listening on a party line to hear what your neighbors were gossiping about.

Teddy Ellis built the first telephone exchange in the town on the Reservation in 1900. Dr. George Slover was the first customer of the new telephone company. He installed the telephone in his residence and asked for the number of "11". Mrs. Slover kept the number for more than 50 years until the advent of the seven digit phone number. Ike Renfro asked for the number "1".

Mr. Covington of the Covington Hotel fame received the number "2" for his combination news office, undertaking and post office. The number was used by the Sulphur-Times Democrat for many years. Other members of the new exchange were Judge E. E. White, Wiley's Drug, H. F. Weems and Dr. T. P. Wall. Dr. Wall's number was 39. So, it is supposed that there were at least 39 phones in the new system.

The old phones hung on the wall and a crank handle was turned to connect to the central exchange. On March 10, 1900, the Sulphur Springs, I.T. city council granted a 10 year franchise to the new exchange and Clay J. Webster. Webster and a partner, C.J. Kirby, operated the exchange for several years at which time they sold the company for $12,500 to W. N. Hays and J. Rumsey. A short time later, 1907, these two sold the company to O. Spence, R. S. Goffe and O. B. Goffe for about $15,000. By this time the exchange had 250 subscribers. These partners operated the exchange until 1918 when they sold it to Asa Cooper.

In 1923, Frank Crawford and A. C. Hendricks bought the company and in 1928 Mr. Crawford bought the interest of Mr. Hendricks. Chickasaw Telephone Company bought the company from Frank and Jessie Crawford and the rest is history.

While writing this story, I had one thought repeatedly cross my mind. What does the first person with a telephone do with it?

Contributed by Dennis Muncrief, November 2001.

reference; Sulphur Time-Democrat, Sept. 10, 1953.