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Your first telephone number

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OL 7-2258 - The OL stood for Olympia, and it was on a party line with several of our neighbors.
 
KnightBridgeAZ said:
MU6-0468. The MU was Murdock or Murray, my memory isn't that great. No actual reference to anything that I know of, this was in Union, NJ.

When I was little the area code was 201, then 908. When Amy and I bought our first house, the area code was 908, and they changed it to 732.

Of odd interest - after years of having to dial "1" and the area code for every call - out in Tucson we don't have to dial the area code for local calls. In fact, it doesn't go through if you do.

And that number was a "party" line when I was little, but I don't remember there being distinctive rings. Sometimes you picked the phone up and folks were talking is all I remember. Of course, I wasn't making many calls in those days.
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When I was a kid there were only 2 area codes in NJ and 1 for all of NYC.
 
msf22b said:
In the Bronx, circa 1940's

Olenville 5-4050
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I have a great aunt that had an "Olinville" phone number and lived on Olinville Ave in the Bronx. I wasn't born until the 60's, but she had lived there for years.
 
I remember my 7 digits with 203 in front if you're calling from out of town

then (860-247-) was a must at all times... both in the Hartford area
 
I also remember town to town was not the same.... I could call a friend in another town for free... but if they called me it was a toll call..and the free calling areas for CT consisted of only a few surrounding towns around your area...
 
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cockhrnleghrn said:
I have a great aunt that had an "Olinville" phone number and lived on Olinville Ave in the Bronx. I wasn't born until the 60's, but she had lived there for years.
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I think you're right about the spelling...I wrote an "i" but my spell-checker changed it.
"i" seems correct.
 
Grew up in Poughkeepsie, NY in the 50's & 60's. GL4 - 5278.
 
Just remember one person could call the other, but the other couldn't call that person back. ...Wondered the other day if the phrase "he/she hung up on me" is relevant,,or if it will make sense to the next generation. Or even someone translating from another language to english. Haven't hung up my phone for a long time. Just sayin....
 
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For awhile, picking up the phone and having an operator direct you call ("Aren't you calling him/her a lot today?")
But the first number was 751-0887 and the friend's number above was 751-0771.

One of my better work lines was 640-3383. If you're on a phone that can make sounds when you dial, do "3-3-8-3." Sounds like
the opening chords to Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love." :D
 
Aluminny69 said:
In Milford, our phone number started with TRinity (87). I think it was something easy, like 878-2468.....
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My grandmother would give her number as a word, then five digits. The first two letters of the word began with the corresponding letters to the "73." I wish I could remember word.
 
Bliss said:
First phone number was 439R and it was a private line - very uptown.

Me: Pick up receiver and wait
Operator: "Number please"
Me: (say number wanted, as "292A")
Operator: "Thank you"
Me: (sometimes) "You're welcome"
Operator: Dials number
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And if you REALLY needed to make a long-distance call (anywhere outside the city limits - and this was strongly discouraged at my house because it cost extra) when the operator said "Number please" you would reply, "Long distance please."

Operator: "City please"
Me: say city name and state
Operator: "Number please"
(Repeat above procedure)

Amazingly enough there was no charge for "Information please."
 
367-2702

When I moved out, my parents wouldn't call me in Westport (Norwalk exchange) from Fairfield (Bridgeport Exchange) since long distance charges applied.
 
Not that my family would have ever done this, but a "person to person" or "collect call" was made to confirm arrival after a long trip. The receiving party would decline the call (and the charge), but get the message.

Bliss said:
And if you REALLY needed to make a long-distance call (anywhere outside the city limits - and this was strongly discouraged at my house because it cost extra) when the operator said "Number please" you would reply, "Long distance please."

Operator: "City please"
Me: say city name and state
Operator: "Number please"
(Repeat above procedure)

Amazingly enough there was no charge for "Information please."
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friscoflyer said:
4300 on a party line. Our ring was two longs and a short.
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802-254-2246 - 4-party line. One long, two shorts - my sister used to get so upset with Louise Hickey when she would eavesdrop on her boyfriend conversations, or pick up 5 times in a minute to indicate that she needed the line.
 
67766 then CHapel 6-7766 in Hartford. My father had to yell into the phone when he called my aunt (his sister) in California just to be sure he could be heard.
 
Hold the heck on... phone numbers had less than 10 digits? WHEN THE HECK WAS THIS?.... I just keep saying it... HOW OLD ARE YOU GUYS MY GOODNESS!!!
 
Nuyoika said:
Hold the heck on... phone numbers had less than 10 digits? WHEN THE HECK WAS THIS?.... I just keep saying it... HOW OLD ARE YOU GUYS MY GOODNESS!!!
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I only go back as far as 7 digits, now 10.... so I say the same as you and I'm close to 50
 
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temery said:
I'm thinking you should hope your kids don't read the 'yard. Time to hide your wallet.
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That ship has sailed. Kids learned long ago where I hid the cash. They didn't need to look either. All they needed was the phrase "Dad, please ..." Nowadays they're the ones thinking they need to hide their wallets from me.
 
I only remember calling the operator over and over and over when I was 6... because I found out that they would give you the time... Then I got scolded by one operator I thought I was going to be in trouble when my parents got home... So when my mom got home I told what I did, fearing that the operator would... I wasn't in too much trouble, but I didn't play on the phone again. :eek:
 
temery said:
Not that my family would have ever done this, but a "person to person" or "collect call" was made to confirm arrival after a long trip. The receiving party would decline the call (and the charge), but get the message.
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My parents always had us do this, too.
 
temery said:
Not that my family would have ever done this, but a "person to person" or "collect call" was made to confirm arrival after a long trip. The receiving party would decline the call (and the charge), but get the message.
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Or they would phone your house and let it ring one time only to let you know they had arrived back home.
 
In CT, in the 50's, party line (2 long rings ) MArket-7303, for a long time I had a hanging picture from a local business, with a thermometer, showing the MA(62)rket local number, do not remember what happened to that picture, darn!
 
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