Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives

Marcella Neely | Aug 03, 2016

This switchboard was the heart of the telephone system in this area until the mid 1960s. It was owned by Ellery Thompson and operated as the Kaladar Northern Telephone System, serving Flinton, Kaladar, Northbrook, Cloyne and Ferguson's Corners. Mr. Thompson eventually bought the Plevna and Denbigh telephone exchanges as well. When the dial telephone system was introduced in the 1960s this style of switchboard was no longer used. The unit was first donated to the Sunshine School, a school for developmentally challenged children located between Napanee and Odessa, for educational use, then to our Cloyne Pioneer Museum, where it proudly claims its historical role. Information regarding the switchboard and the telephone network of yesteryear is available in the museum. As you stroll through the many exhibits you will want to ask yourself how this unit could serve the needs of pioneering businesses and households under primitive conditions. The Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives website is www.cloyne pioneermuseum.ca. Questions can be addressed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..