Ory Miguez: Acadiana Photographer

Southern Bell Telephone, Franklin, 1964

In 1964, Southern Bell Telephone opened its new office at 910 W. Third Street, marking the transition from telephone operators to a new dial system. The company first established itself in Franklin in 1893. This change replaced eighty-year-old double-digit telephone numbers with seven-digit numbers. Some residents were disappointed that they could no longer eavesdrop on party lines. During the opening ceremony, Lt. Gov. C. C. Aycock activated the dial equipment, Franklin Mayor W. McKerall O'Niell placed the first Direct Distance Dialing call, and Rep Spencer G. Todd made the first local call. Msgr. John H. Disch, the Church of the Assumption pastor, performed the dedication rites. The new system cost over $1,200,000.

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