Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Telephone, Wall |
Source |
Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House Museum |
Iowa History Era Tag |
Prosperity to the Depression (1897-1939) |
Chronological Tag |
The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930) |
Catalog Number |
2018.033.004 |
Credit line |
Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House Museum - Mason City, Iowa |
Description |
This early 1900s telephone was located in the home that architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed for George and Eleanor Stockman of Mason City, Iowa. Telephones like this were among the first phones that phone companies made available to the public. The phone had self-contained batteries to provide transmission power, and a magnet to generate the electricity required to ring the phone's bells. The Stockman's phone was located in their kitchen. Content can be used with the following standards: 4th grade SS 4.25 Technological Standards in a lesson on communication developments in the early 1900s. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions. |
Additional Research & Sources |
On a previous visit to Mason City, Wright met the Stockmans and asked him to build a two-story, four bedroom home for them. Wright agreed, and used a previous plan he had published in the "Ladies Home Journal" entitled the "A Fireproof House for $5,000". The open-floor plan, L-shape home was completed in 1908 however, the house was sold in 1924 when George and Eleanor Stockman retired. The history of the telephone began with Alexander Graham Bell in the mid-1800s. After he moved from Scotland to the United States, Bell made improvements on the telegraph before patenting the telephone in 1876. The first telephone created by Bell involved a speaking tube attached to a piece of leather that was then connected to a needle suspended in a cup of water and acid, with an electrical wire that acted as a reciever. The telephone improved from the first model to the Butterstamp telephone that hung on a wall and had separate pieces for speaking and hearing. Switchboards run by an operator allowed people to connect to others until telephone poles when put up by the Western Union communications, creating better connections. |
Notes on Related Objects |
Object is related to the following library resources, which can be found by searching the catalog number in the advanced search section: Catalog #: 2018.045.165-History of Franklin and Cerro Gordo Counties |
Primary/Secondary Source |
General primary source |
County Tag |
Cerro Gordo |
People |
Stockman, George Stockman, Eleanor |
Relation |
Show Related Records... |
Multimedia Links |
Click here to view/hear the file. |
Search Terms |
Media/Communication Telephones |
Legal Status |
Ownership of this resource is held by the Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House Museum and has been provided here for educational purposes only, specifically for use in the Iowa Museum Association's "Teaching Iowa History" project. It may not be downloaded, reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission from the Rights Holder. For information on U.S. and International copyright laws, consult an attorney. |
