George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Midwest commercial architecture photograph collection
Central Union Telephone Company
C0188
/repositories/2/resources/350
0.1 Linear Feet
15 folders
circa 1900s - 1920
Thirty-two photographs, each approximately 4 x 5 inches, depicting commercial buildings in rural northwestern Ohio with recently installed Central Union Telephone Company telephones.
R 44, C 1, S 2
English
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions.
Use Restrictions
No known copyright. The Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries believes that this collection is not restricted by copyright or related rights, but a conclusive determination could not be made. (See https://rightsstatements.org/page/NKC/1.0/?language=en)
Preferred Citation
Midwest commercial architecture photograph collection, C0188, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Acquisition Information
Collection purchased from Fine Antiquarian Books in 2010.
Processing Information
Processed by and EAD markup completed by Greta Kuriger in January 2011. Updated by Greta Kuriger Suiter in March 2013. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in January 2023.
Historical Information
The Central Union Telephone Company was originally based in Chicago and in 1883 took over the Midland Telephone Company, a Bell organization also based in Chicago. Many Bell patents expired in 1893 and 1894 resulting in an increase of competing telephone companies. By the early 1900s the Central Union Telephone Company was headquartered in Indiana and was organized to develop telephone service in Indiana, Illinois and Ohio. Mergers in the telephone industry in the early 1900s resulted in Central Union Telephone becoming part of Indiana Bell, Illinois Bell, and Ohio Bell. In 1920 Central Union Telephone Company was purchased by the Ohio Bell Telephone Company which emerged from the Cleveland Telephone Company. In the 1920s telephone service in Ohio was unified under Ohio Bell.
Scope and Content
Thirty-two photographs, each approximately 4 x 5 inches, depicting commercial buildings in rural northwestern Ohio with recently installed telephones. The Central Union Telephone Company brought local and long distance calling to commercial buildings and advertised the new service with signage. Signs for Central Union can be seen in twenty-seven of the photographs. These photographs could have been used as a way to document their placement. There are a variety of commercial buildings present in the photographs, as well as telephone poles, merchants' signs, displays of goods, customers, horse drawn wagons, and bicycles. Three of the photograph the set up of a telephone operator, as well as three men posing humorously for the camera.
Related Material
The Special Collections Research Center holds many other
Arrangement
Arranged by subject.
Alternate Format Available
The entire collection is available online through the . You can also access the digital objects through the inventory on this finding aid.
Advertising -- Telephone companies
Dwellings
Dwellings -- Ohio
Ohio
Photographic prints
Storefronts
Photographs
Midwest commercial architecture photograph collection/repositories/2/archival_objects/93815circa 1900s-1910sResidential building with telephone sign/repositories/2/archival_objects/938161900s-1910s11Storefront with telephone sign/repositories/2/archival_objects/938171900s-1910s11Two-story building/repositories/2/archival_objects/938181900s-1910s12Storefront with four people and telephone sign/repositories/2/archival_objects/938191900s-1910s12Piper's Grocery storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938201900s-1910s13Lease & Twining storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938211900s-1910s13Three-story commercial building/repositories/2/archival_objects/938221900s-1910s14A.D. Baumhart: The Druggist Store/repositories/2/archival_objects/938231900s-1910s14M.C. Sherman & Co. storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938241900s-1910s15DeWitt storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938251900s-1910s15Wisman & Mohler grocery storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938261900s-1910s16Wisman & Mohler grocery storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938271900s-1910s16Drugs store/repositories/2/archival_objects/938281900s-1910s16Commercial building with telephone sign/repositories/2/archival_objects/938291900s-1910s17Two-story commercial building/repositories/2/archival_objects/938301900s-1910s17Manning Bros. storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938311900s-1910s18Commercial building/repositories/2/archival_objects/938321900s-1910s18Laundry office/repositories/2/archival_objects/938331900s-1910s19The Crawford County Gas & Electric/repositories/2/archival_objects/938341900s-1910s19Building with Bell telephone sign/repositories/2/archival_objects/938351900s-1910s110W.E. Chapple office/repositories/2/archival_objects/938361900s-1910s110Bank building/repositories/2/archival_objects/938371900s-1910s111Tschanen Bros. storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938381900s-1910s111Wyckoff Bros. storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938391900s-1910s112Coonrod storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938401900s-1910s112White Star laundry storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938411900s-1910s113F.A. Gonant storefront/repositories/2/archival_objects/938421900s-1910s113Three men/repositories/2/archival_objects/938431900s-1910s114Desk with chairs and telephone/repositories/2/archival_objects/938441900s-1910s114House with telephone sign/repositories/2/archival_objects/938451900s-1910s115House with telephone sign/repositories/2/archival_objects/938461900s-1910s115Three men goofing around/repositories/2/archival_objects/938471900s-1910s115