Tacoma Pioneer Telephone Museum

The museum is located in downtown Tacoma up the hill on 9th avenue.
757 Fawcett Ave So. Tacoma, WA 98402
Telephone w/recorder 253 627 2996

The idea for a Tacoma Pioneer Telephone Museum began over 55 years ago, when those pioneers began collecting items still in use. Many of these such as test equipment, tools, telephone sets, and a wire chiefs desk are now on display.

This museum actually started in the fall of 1991, when AT&T provided about 1100 sq. ft. of floor space on the first floor of the AT&T office building at 757 Fawcett Ave. in Tacoma. The museum now contains a variety of exhibits, including:
1 Vintage telephones, many crank type old sets both foreign and domestic.
2 The first cordless telephone from the Seattle Worlds Fair held in 1961.
3 A wire chiefs desk from the 1920's
4 A working 701A step by step PBX . It was donated by AT&T at The Dalles Ore. We dismantled it and brought it to the museum and now is in good working condition.
5 Several old teletype machines and related equipment all in working condition.
6 A multitude of old pictures of employee groups, telephone buildings, old time construction projects etc. all displayed on page type panels.
7 Many old type manual switchboards, a long distance operators board from the old Tacoma office, several old manual PBX boards including two local battery drop signal models.
8 Toll test boards, a morse board, and a primary board they are equipped with a working morse telegraph key and sounder. Two of our docents still are able to use the code.
9 Old telephone and pioneer records, old telephone directories some from the turn of the century.
10 A sound power telephone display from the cable laying barge.
11 A working crossbar dial system
12 Outside plant cables, tools, equipment and much more.
13 Two phone booths equipped with lights and tel sets.
14 A display of electronic tubes that were manufactured by the Western Electric Co.

In 1995 AT&T allotted us about 800 additional sq. ft. adjoining the original museum. We now have about 2000 sq. ft. of space. We have had tours by teachers, students, pioneer members as well as others from the telephone industry.

Presently our hours are from 8AM until 1PM on Thursdays, we expect to expand them in the future. There is no admission charge but we accept donations. There are no special events scheduled presently.

This museum is sponsered by the Tacoma Council, Washington Chapter 30, TelecomPioneers. The four Pioneers that primarily maintain the museum are Harry Ball, Wes Pomeroy, Art Pavey and Bill Winchell. Combined we have had about 150 years experience in the telephone industry.