Abilene, Kansas - Museum of Independent Telephony

When Alexander Graham Bell (and not some Italian guy) invented the telephone, his patents held back a horde of telephony wannabes for 17 years. When the rights expired, a profusion of entrepreneurs poured into the lucrative business, forming nearly 6,000 independent telephone companies. While millions toiled for the Bell System as it maintained a century of pre-Consent Decree market dominance, the "independents" continued to thrive, scraping profit from around the edges.

The Museum of Independent Telephony pays tribute to the world of the non-Bell System phone companies that connected communities in the Midwest and West. Abilene was the home of an independent, the Brown Telephone Company, which became United Telephone Company, and eventually morphed into Sprint.

The museum includes a recreation of an old telephone exchange, displays of glass insulators and a variety of vintage phones. Visitors are encouraged to touch the exhibits. [Roadsideamerica.com Team, 11/29/2003]