Salisbury Telephone Numbers 1-50
(From the 1913 C & P telephone book)
Many people have inquired about the original phone numbers and to whom they belonged. The only earlier phone book I have heard of is from 1911, but I have never had the opportunity to see one. In the early days of phone service, an operator had to connect you to your party. My grandmother was an operator before 1910, but in her own words she “only handled local calls, the more experienced ladies handled long distance”.
The first 50 numbers in 1913 were:
1. Western Union Telegraph Co.2. E. S. Adkins Co.
3. White & Leonard, druggists
4. Adams Express Co.
5. W. F. Allen Co.
6. A. J. Benjamin - residence
7. B. C. & A. R. R. Co.
8. L. D. Collier Drug Co.
9. Jos. L. Bailey – Atty-at-Law
10. Dorman & Smyth Hardware
11. Elllegood, Freeney & Wailes – lawyers
12. Robt. D. Grier – residence
13. Post Office – M. A. Humphreys, postmaster
14. L. W. Gunby Co. – store
15. L. W. Gunby Co. – office
16. C. T. Kelley – residence
17. F. A. Grier, Jr. – residence
18. T. L. Ruark & Co. – Wholesale grocers
19. D. J. Ward – office
20. Miss Letitia Houston – residence
21. W. H. Adkins – groceries
22. Miss Hannah White – residence
23. Geo. C. Hill – undertaker
24. Wimbrow & Dryden – livery
25. S. J. Johnson & Co. – Wholesale grocers
26. The Farmers & Planters Co.
27. NO LISTING (later a number for Farmers & Planters)
28. W. P. Jackson – residence
29. Palace Livery Stables
30. W. B. Tilghman Co. – office
31. W. B. Miller – kindling wood mill
32. W. B. Miller – residence
33. Thos. H. Mitchell – wood work factory
34. B. C. & A. R. R. Co.
35. Mrs. Elizabeth P. Lankford – residence
36. R. E. Powell Co. – dry goods, millinery
37. Peninsula Hotel – office
38. Robt. D. Grier – Salisbury Machine Works
39. Salisbury Ice Co. & H. O. Hall (residence)
40. Dr. Louis W. Morris – physician
41. Salisbury Building, Loan and Banking Association
42. Salisbury National Bank
43. Dr. Geo. W. Todd – physician
44. W. E. Sheppard Co. – Wholesale groceries
45. W. E. Sheppard Co. – Wholesale groceries
46. L. E. Williams & Co. – lumber dealers
47. Morris Bros. Co. – general mill work
48. J. B. Baker – groceries
49. Jay Williams – residence
50. Brewington Bros. Co. (Wicomico News)
13 comments:
That's interesting , very few residence . Who would have thought?
Wayne
Wow , a whole lot of businesses , not like today , oh well , the left may learn from history.
Do you understand Shanie? people earned their way to success . Nothing was free! (other than our people)
I see why some people are scared of the good old days. Everything wasn't a right. And a large part of what you earned was kept by you.
Bring it on!
A lot of the businesses named here remained in SBY for decades.White & Leonard Druggist surprised me.They were more or less an office and school supply when I was growing up.
9:30-The biggest advantage the good old days offered was a much smaller population.A continuously increasing population compounds everything.The bad becomes worse and nothing clearly improves.Law enforcement becomes more difficult because the ratio of police vs civilians becomes more lopsided.The rate of inflation also increases with a population increase.(In exactly the same proportion if no one has noticed)taking all economic factors into consideration.Unless you became terminally ill for instance,the good old days were indeed better.
the Grier name has been here for years as well. since I was born in 1947 the only number I remember was9234. I'm sure in the beginning we had a "party line". thank you so much for the history. love it...
I have an ice pick from W. F. Messick Ice Co. with the phone number 2. I do not know the year.
We have a bottle opener from W F MESSICK phone # 2
I have a brass bell. Clover Dairy. Phone numbers...1540 & 1541
I have a school bell from one of the local schools,when they used to ring the bell for various reasons during the schoolday.It weighs at least a couple hundred pounds.A local historian has told me that he can find out which school it was on and the time frame during which it was used.
4:32 PM...Can you imagine the law suits today if you called the little darlings in with a cow bell.
I was just a small child when this directory was issued,and my parents were not affluent,nor did they have a business.They may not have even had a phone.
Thanks for posting. The Gunby's are my ancestry.
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