Telephone numbers

Did everyone have an "exchange" before their phone number?

We had " DElaware2-6199. Then HEnderson3-4893.

Or 332-6199 and 433-4893.

Oh, yes, I do remember that. And even just 30 years ago, when I moved to this little tiny town, us teens didn't need any money to call our friends from a pay phone.

Our town was so small, you only had to pick up the phone and dial the last four numbers to get through. And at a pay phone, you could dial your friend and when they answered, you would shout really loud *3634!!!!* - whatever the number was at that payphone. Your friend could actually hear you on their end and would call you back at the payphone. No dimes required!

Kathy

Wow! This is really going waaay back, Di and Kathy. We were not allowed to use the phone until we were in our late teens and no one phoned me when I was little, sad to say. Did not matter, I was too busy with rollerskates that clipped to my shoes anyway. But, I do remember my Mom was not fond of the party line and I always wondered as a little girl why she never enjoyed a party. Later, when I had access to the phone, I remember the rotary dial was best done with a pen! Did you do that as well?

I can remember my grandmothers phone had worn out places on the numbers where we would all dial with a pen or pencil...YEP.

Also, I remember our number at one time was Evergreen3133. Wild! With five girls, there was always somebody on the phone. When we were in our teens, the five of us shared ONE PINK Princess phone. Can you imagine? There were fights, bribes, and hang ups, all the time...It's MY time to talk! No it isn't, it's mine, you had it last. Mommmmm...Oh Mommmmm!

JJ

Gosh, I heard you all the way here, JJ! All girls in my family as well but, I am the eldest so there was a pecking order and I pulled rank often. Then, Daddy would come home and all was well in the world again for my sisters. Oh, happy memories!!!

Daddy use to tell people that if he wanted to find me at night, all he had to do was get a hold of the phone cord and travel with it in his hands till he got to the end of it, and I would be attached. We had a 24 foot cord that could go all over the house. HA!

He would also unplug the phone if he caught us on it after 9:00 p.m. on school nights. Yes, I was caught...over and over. What can I tell ya? I was social.

JJ

Yep. Suffered the same stinker with Dad at 2:00 A.M. For some reason there was always something one forgot to tell the other at the end of the line. Did try to rush the dial by trying to push it back so it would go quicker before the warden went on his rounds. A sister always crept out after curfew, you see. But that's another story.

We had switched to all cordless phones over the years, but had so many problems finding the phone when it was ringing that we recently went out and bought a corded phone. Now there's always one attached to the wall in the kitchen.

I lived with my grandmother a lot. hers was Arden 9-2811
which was 489-2811. wow that was a long time ago.

Jam