sharonc@meaddata.com (Sharon Crichton) (10/17/90)
[For you telecom readers who enjoy stories about telephone history and trivia, here's a story for you.] At "Fallingwater," the Edgar Kaufmann summer home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the telephone installation was performed by Merton W. Crichton (my grandfather), Ike Schriver, Alfred Blosser, and their foreman Ross Sennett. All were employees of the Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania, probably based out of the Pittsburgh or Uniontown area office (the house was built in 1936 and my dad was born in Uniontown that year). According to my grandfather, Mrs. Kaufmann wanted to use her French style phones. In 1936, it was unheard of to use any phone equipment other than Bell System equipment. But with pressure from her millionaire department store owner husband (Kaufmanns department stores, for those readers not from Pittsburgh), Bell allowed the use of the French phones. But only after the inner workings had been replaced with Bell System parts! Mrs. Kaufmann was very fussy about cleanliness. She required the men to remove their shoes upon entering the house. So they did the work in their stocking feet. From the house, the pole lines and wires went down the hill to the B&O RR tracks. From there, the lines separated. One line went to the nearest central office at Ohiopyle, the other went all the way to Pittsburgh, approximately 75 miles, so that the Kaufmanns could also have a Pittsburgh number and line at their summer place. This was also practically unheard of in 1936. If you go to Fallingwater (the Pennsylvania Conservancy now owns it and gives tours), don't look for the phones. They have been removed. But the old poles and lines might still be there in the woods. If anyone is interested in the more technical details, I can ask my grandfather (he's now in Winter Park, Florida). Sharon Crichton CDS Systems Evolution Mead Data Central sharonc%meaddata@uunet.uu.net P.O. Box 933 sharonc@meaddata.com Dayton, OH 45401