Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum
ENJOY NOSTALGIA FROM THE EARLY YEARS OF THE TELEPHONE. IT’S A FUN FAMILY ADVENTURE, AN EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIP FOR STUDENTS AND AN ENJOYABLE GROUP OUTING.
Welcome to the Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum, the self-guided and accessible museum dedicated to the nostalgia of the early years of the telephone.
This museum is located within the 426-acre Jefferson Barracks Historic District, just 15 minutes south of downtown St. Louis. Inside you will find several hands-on, interactive displays meant to 'inspire an interest in engineering and history'. There is an extensive collection of phones from the 1900s to the 2000s, with examples such as the Chicago Tandem Glass Front Telephone, the Electric Dial Candlestick Phone, the Calculagraph, and even a more recent popular Kermit the Frog Telephone. Here are a few more examples of what you will see during your visit.
- Operator switchboards from the 1920s and 1960s.
- Military telephones from WWII through the Vietnam War.
- A telephone pole complete with climbing equipment.
- A sculpture of Alexander Graham Bell and replicas of his 1876 Liquid Transmitter and 1877 First Commercial Telephone.
Group tours are available if you'd like, and we highly suggest you take some time to eat at the nearby Cafe Telegraph at the Barracks before or after your visit.
