Before smartphones, most people kept in touch using landline telephones. And before direct dialing was common, some calls were handled by switchboard operators. During the 1950s, more than 220,000 ...

With a 1-year-old daughter and a recently laid-off husband, Minnie Carver needed a job, so in May 1968, she started as a switchboard operator at Blount Memorial Hospital. She will retire at the end of ...

Before smartphones, landline telephones were the way most people kept in touch. And until direct dialing became common, a switchboard operator's assistance was often needed to help with long-distance ...

Eventually to become affectionately known as “Old Betsy,” a Western Electric TBX-556A telephone switchboard went into service in 1958 in West Milford Town Hall to facilitate communication in the ...