Are you old enough to remember letter prefixes for phone numbers?

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

I remember when WA only had 2 area codes. One for the west side and one for the east side.




Just dialing one, then the whole 10 digit number.........but on a rotary phone, if you screwed up would have to start all over again

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I remember it well!

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[1srelluc]

LOL, I was scrolling down to post that when I saw your post. I remember.

I just thought that short a trip down memory lane would be better than the steady parade of MN BS.

 

[Eman623]

Telephone exchange names - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ours was ME5-2275.

You just dialed (5- and the four digit number) for a local call in the exchange.

Back then if the firehouse siren went off police and fire personnel could dial a number and it would tell them where a fire/emergency was.

LOL....Usually it was the local dump was on fire....Again....So everyone would show up with .22s for a "rat shoot", then put the fire out.

Ours was OVerland 4-4498

 

[Cassandro]

HOllywood 78178

 

[Concerned American]

Ours was OVerland 4-4498

JAckson5-4955

 

[Lockback]

Hudson 8- something or other.
I do remember those days pretty well.

 

[Invisibleflash]

Telephone exchange names - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ours was ME5-2275.

You just dialed (5- and the four digit number) for a local call in the exchange.

Back then if the firehouse siren went off police and fire personnel could dial a number and it would tell them where a fire/emergency was.

LOL....Usually it was the local dump was on fire....Again....So everyone would show up with .22s for a "rat shoot", then put the fire out.

 

[the watcher]

I was a communications electrician in the navy and the first job I got when I got out (1970) was with Western Electric, who had a manufacturing plant on Eades Street in Alexandria. I tell my grandkids that I refurbished those coin pay phones that you had to put quarters in. We knocked the coin slots off the top, buffed and painted the housing and installed new coin slots and the little mechs that made the tone. The grandkids say "what's a pay phone"? I lasted about 2 months and joined local 26. Bought a new 71 beetle for $1900 and had to wait 3 months for it.

 

[braalian]

Nope

And it would always confuse the shit out of me when a character on an old show like ‘I Love Lucy’ would give their phone number as “Murray Hill 6705” or something

I still don’t really understand it to this day. Isn’t that way too many numbers?

 

[Concerned American]

Nope

And it would always confuse the shit out of me when a character on an old show like ‘I Love Lucy’ would give their phone number as “Murray Hill 6705” or something

I still don’t really understand it to this day. Isn’t that way too many numbers?

Typically, they only used the first two letters to guide you to the letters (numbers) on the dial. The names, I suspect, were used as a mnemonic device.

 

[Cellblock2429]

Telephone exchange names - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ours was ME5-2275.

You just dialed (5- and the four digit number) for a local call in the exchange.

Back then if the firehouse siren went off police and fire personnel could dial a number and it would tell them where a fire/emergency was.

LOL....Usually it was the local dump was on fire....Again....So everyone would show up with .22s for a "rat shoot", then put the fire out.

/—-/ In the 1940s our first number was 4548. Then it went to the prefix Cedar. 65 years and I still remember it: CE2-4548

 

[JOSweetHeart]

The only time that I dial letters is when I call up a radio station.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[Eman623]

The following is AT&T's recommended list of central office names as published in 1955,[5] sorted by the first two digits of the three-digit central office code.

22	ACademy, BAldwin, CAnal, CApital, CAstle
23	ADams, BElmont, BEverly, CEdar, CEnter, CEntral
24	CHapel, CHerry, CHestnut, CHurchill, CIrcle
25	ALpine, BLackburn, CLearbrook, CLearwater, CLifford, CLinton
26	AMherst, ANdrew, COlfax, COlony, COngress
27	BRidge, BRoad(way), BRown(ing), CRestview, CRestwood
28	ATlantic, ATlas, ATwater, ATwood, AVenue, BUtler
29	AXminster, AXtel, CYpress
32	DAvenport, DAvis, EAst(gate), FAculty, FAirfax, FAirview
33	DEerfield, DEwey, EDgewater, EDgewood, EDison, FEderal
34	DIamond, DIckens, FIeldbrook, FIeldstone, FIllmore, FIrestone
35	ELgin, ELliot, ELmwood, FLanders, FLeetwood
36	EMerson, EMpire, ENdicott, FOrest, FOxcroft
37	DRake, DRexel, ESsex, FRanklin, FRontier
38	DUdley, DUnkirk, DUpont, EVergreen, FUlton
39	EXbrook, EXeter, EXport, EXpress
42	GArden, GArfield, HAmilton, HArrison, HAzel
43	GEneral, GEneva, HEmlock, HEmpstead, IDlewood
44	GIbson, GIlbert, HIckman, HIckory, HIllcrest, HIlltop
45	GLadstone, GLencourt, GLendale, GLenview, GLobe
46	HObart, HOmestead, HOpkins, HOward, INgersoll
47	GRanite, GReenfield, GReenleaf, GReenwood, GRidley, GRover
48	HUbbard, HUdson, HUnter, HUntley, HUxley, IVanhoe
49	GYpsy, HYacinth, HYatt
52	JAckson, LAfayette, LAkeside, LAkeview, LAmbert, LAwrence
53	JEfferson, KEllogg, KEystone, LEhigh, LEnox
54	KImball, KIngsdale, KIngswood, LIberty, LIncoln, LInden
56	JOhn, JOrdan, LOcust, LOgan, LOwell
58	JUniper, JUno, JUstice, LUdlow, LUther
59	LYceum, LYndhurst, LYnwood, LYric
62	MAdison, MAin, MArket, MAyfair, NAtional
63	MEdford, MElrose, MErcury, NEptune, NEwton, NEwtown
64	MIdway, MIlton, MIssion, MItchell, NIagara
65	OLdfield, OLive, OLiver, OLympia, OLympic
66	MOhawk, MOntrose, MOrris, NOrmandy, NOrth(field)
67	ORange, ORchard, ORiole, ORleans, OSborne
68	MUrdock, MUrray, MUseum, MUtual, OVerbrook, OVerland
69	MYrtle, OWen, OXbow, OXford
72	PAlace, PArk(view), PArk(way), RAndolph, RAymond, SAratoga
73	PEnnsylvania, PErshing, REd(field), REd(wood), REgent, REpublic
74	PIlgrim, PIoneer, RIver(side), RIver(view), SHadyside, SHerwood
75	PLateau, PLaza, PLeasant, PLymouth, SKyline
76	POplar, POrter, ROckwell, ROger(s), SOuth(field)
77	PRescott, PResident, PRospect, SPring, SPruce
78	STate, STerling, STillwell, STory, SUffolk, SUnset,
79	PYramid, SWarthmore, SWift, SWinburne, SYcamore
82	TAlbot, TAlmadge, TAylor, VAlley, VAndyke
83	TEmple(ton), TEnnyson, TErminal, TErrace, VErnon
84	THornwall, TIlden, VIctor(ia), VIking, VInewood
85	ULrick, ULster, ULysses
86	TOwnsend, UNderhill, UNion, UNiversity, VOlunteer
87	TRemont, TRiangle, TRinity, TRojan, UPtown
88	TUcker, TUlip, TUrner, TUxedo
89	TWilight, TWinbrook, TWining, TWinoaks
92	WAbash, WAlker, WAlnut, WArwick, WAverly
93	WEbster, WEllington, WElls, WEst(more), YEllowstone
94	WHitehall, WHitney, WIlliam(s), WIlson, WIndsor
96	WOodland, WOodlawn, WOodward, WOrth, YOrktown
98	YUkon
99	WYandotte, WYman, WYndown

[th]

Numerical
prefix​

[/th][th]

Recommended central office names (1955)​

[/th]​

The letters Q and Z were never used in the naming system, but Z was often mapped on the telephone dial to the digit 0 (zero). The prefix 55 was set aside for fictitious telephone numbers of the form 555-XXXX. They were often used with the fictitious exchange name KLondike (55).

Telephone exchange names - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[westwall]

Telephone exchange names - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ours was ME5-2275.

You just dialed (5- and the four digit number) for a local call in the exchange.

Back then if the firehouse siren went off police and fire personnel could dial a number and it would tell them where a fire/emergency was.

LOL....Usually it was the local dump was on fire....Again....So everyone would show up with .22s for a "rat shoot", then put the fire out.

Yes. Heck, I am old enough I remember when we were on a party line. I think there were 9 households on the same phone line.

 

[1srelluc]

Yes. Heck, I am old enough I remember when we were on a party line. I think there were 9 households on the same phone line.

We never had one but my grandparents did. I still have their first Western Electric phone but not the ringer box.

Like this one:

To get phone service you had to buy a share of Shenandoah Telephone and Telegraph stock and provide the poles.

The poles were of cedar (still in service as of a couple years ago) and that one share of stock morphed into thousands.

 

[OhPleaseJustQuit]

We never had one but my grandparents did. I still have their first Western Electric phone but not the ringer box.

Like this one:

To get phone service you had to buy a share of Shenandoah Telephone and Telegraph stock and provide the poles.

The poles were of cedar (still in service as of a couple years ago) and that one share of stock morphed into thousands.

View attachment 1212433

.

I remember when they made working replicas of those "candlestick phones". I tried using my sister's once and it drove me crazy to have to use both hands!

.

 

[citygator]

Geez. You guys were killing it back then. Looks efficient. Its quite amazing you got to the moon well before I was born.

 

[SaxonJackson]