I don't know the name of my former phone exchange...

**eriedearie** · October-30-09, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Remember when there really used to be operators standing by... now dial zero and see what happens...

Oh hell!

Remember when you would call a business and a real live person in real time would answer the phone?

**Alfie1a** · October-30-09, 09:52 PM

lol @ the quick witted Ray1936. You sure know your history.

**iheartthed** · October-30-09, 10:22 PM

Damn, you all are old.

**grumpyoldlady** · October-30-09, 11:04 PM

When I worked for Ma Bell at the 105 East Bethune office, our exchanges there were TRinity, TYler and TWinbrook. Then I transferred to the office on Kelly Rd near Eastland, and we handled WAlnut, LAkeview. At home on Wayburn we had a LAkeview number, and zone 24 in our address.

**jjaba** · October-31-09, 12:35 AM

Thanks for all the welcomes. jjaba missed you.
jjaba remembers the phone in the middle of his dining room, so calls were without any privacy.
Homeowners would rig up their own systems with extentions which were illegal since the phone company charged for each jack they installed.
jjaba laughed at the post about the father timing out the kids.

Yes, Detroit 4, Michigan postoffice was Grand River and Joy Rd., near Riviera Theater.

jjaba, Proudly Westsdie.

Ravine · October-31-09, 12:51 AM

Prescott 9-1511.

**reddog289** · October-31-09, 01:55 AM

I think this was mentioned somewhere before, But when did the phone numbers go from, PA, GA, TY, etc to just numbers?. I learned my phone number at an early age and my fathers phone list "written on the wall" in the basement had the old letter exchanges for his basement phone with the"illeagel" jack.

**eriedearie** · October-31-09, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Damn, you all are old.

Yep, and if you're lucky enough, you'll get there someday...and it will be sooner than you can ever imagine!

**gnome** · October-31-09, 09:48 AM

Remember calling the Time lady to wind your stem?

"At the tone the time will be seven fifty three and 10 seconds ...beep."

---
everyone should have an old rotary phone in their home emergency kit...they were the only phones to work during the great blackout of '05.

**Linda from Detroit** · October-31-09, 10:38 AM

Anyone else remember the old party lines? I used to love visiting my grandmother because she had one and I sneak in there and listen to all the gossip, lol. She caught me once and rather than punish me she asked me what all I had heard. Those were the days in the KEnwood exchange!

**zitro** · October-31-09, 10:49 AM

VEnice exchange. Those rotary phones were not conducive to calling into radio shows for giveaways. No redial and it seemed to take forever for the dial to rotate back. I missed a lot of opportunities for tickets on ABX at the time.

**Gistok** · October-31-09, 12:59 PM

Due to the heavy winds we just had a 12 hour power outage in St. Clair Shores. My landline phone worked OK during that outtage [[the one with a cord and nothing to plug into an electrical outlet). My neighbor who gets here phone service thru WOW had no phones service at all.

So for all you folks who get "bundled" non-AT&T services [[internet, cable, phone)... beware.... during electric power failures... your phone will likely not work.

**Detroit_uke** · October-31-09, 01:24 PM

Linda - I was just telling the kids about party lines - too funny. Old phone # TY 8-2536. Detroit 10, MI. Lived near Warren/Livernois [[mother makes the Liver - children make the Noise). My cousin's phone # LU 4-9787...she lived near Lonyo and Michigan Ave. How come we remember these things?????

**grumpyoldlady** · October-31-09, 02:08 PM

Most of our home phones are now cordless, but we do have one old touch tone plug in phone for use when the power goes out. Works just fine when I need to call the power company and find out what's going on when the power goes out or check with a neighbor down the road to see if it is "just us".

**9936Sussex** · October-31-09, 02:38 PM

VE-62365. Plymouth/Greenfield area. I think it might have been Detroit, 27.

**MikeM** · October-31-09, 02:38 PM

From the old forum: 6-Digit Telephone Numbers - What years?

http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/6790/63149.html

**Ray1936** · October-31-09, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Alfie1a

lol @ the quick witted Ray1936. You sure know your history.

Thanks, Alf. Be advised that the rumors that me 'n Jjaba greeted Cadillac are untrue. We arrived a few years later.

**slick** · October-31-09, 04:29 PM

WAlnut 5-3119
Detroit 11, MI.

That would be poletown around Piquette and the Blvd.
We always called it the Blvd,
some folks called it West Grand or East Grand.
Where was the West side, only went to Dearborn to visit my Aunt,
that was a long ride till i-94 was complete.

Remember when they built the highway, met my grandfather first day they opened I-94 in our neighborhood on the Moran Bridge so we could watch the cars get off at Mt Elliot. Still had not built all of I-94 through the city.

**Paintnprint** · November-02-09, 09:28 AM

KEnwood3-4720.
The first phone number I had to learn. Mom told me that if I got lost it would help me get home.
The woman had no idea that home was the last place I wanted to be.
I first bolted at eighteen months of age, but knew that I wasn't allowed to cross the street, so she tracked me down pretty easy.
Obediant wanderlust.
GT

**mtm49269** · November-02-09, 11:39 AM

I worked for the phone company in the late 70's through much of the 80's. At the old headquarters building on Cass, they had a special lounge which was on the 13th floor that was mostly for the operators to catch a nap. Some of them would have to work split shifts where they were on for four hours, off for four, and on again for another four. That lounge was a great place to study because it was so quiet.

Oh, an back then, if you were a man working for the phone company, most people assumed you were install/repair; if you were a woman at the phone compnay, they'd assume you were an operator - NOT!

**Maxine1958** · November-03-09, 10:44 AM

What a fun thread idea!

My old home phone was DRexel 1-6270

Our store phone was LA 7-8687. Would that have been LAkeview?

It's funny because our house and store weren't that far apart, maybe 6 blocks or so. Gratiot & Conner area of the eastside.

I'm sure my grandparents had a LA number too, but my brain won't pull that number up right now.

**SMRJim** · November-03-09, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Hamtragedy

TElegraph?8-3415, Detroit 27, though I'm young enough to have never written either.

Still chillin' in the 482.

Nope, that would have been VErmont. We were VE6-8616, Detroit 27

Bearinabox · November-03-09, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by Maxine1958

What a fun thread idea!

This wasn't exactly the thread idea, but I'm glad you're having fun with it.

**SMRJim** · November-03-09, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

Remember calling the Time lady to wind your stem?

"At the tone the time will be seven fifty three and 10 seconds ...beep."

Pretty sure you dialed 472-1212 to get the time. You could also get the weather by dialing WEA-THER [[seriously). Then there was the old dial-a-joke number - don't remember what the number was for that.

**catch22** · November-03-09, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by SMRJim

Pretty sure you dialed 472-1212 to get the time. You could also get the weather by dialing WEA-THER [[seriously). Then there was the old dial-a-joke number - don't remember what the number was for that.

Once upon a time in days of yore [[ye olde Bell System), you could dial WEA [[932) and any random 4 digits and you would get the weather.