Harry Mewborn and the Development of Phone Service in Sandusky

Harry Mewborn was named the Commercial Manager for the Ohio Bell Telephone Company in Sandusky on January 1, 1939. He started with Ohio Bell in Toledo in 1925, and worked in several positions, including outside representative, credit manager, assistant unit manager, and unit commercial manager. During his time in Sandusky, telephone service in Sandusky, Castalia and Bloomingville was greatly expanded, and local telephone equipment was converted to dial operation. (Before the advent of the rotary dial telephone, an “operator” was needed to connect anyone making a telephone call to the party to whom they wished to speak.) 

Below are Sandusky operators in the 1930s demonstrating their work to a group of observers. A poster on the wall stated that “The 9700 Sandusky subscribers make 45,000 local calls each day. These calls are handled by a force of 75 operators.”

During Harry Mewborn’s time in Sandusky, there was no area code in use. Sandusky phone numbers started with 625; Castalia phone numbers started with 684, and Bloomingville phone numbers began with 359. Older readers may recall when Sandusky telephone numbers were in the “Main” exchange and Castalia numbers were in the “Mutual” exchange. By correlating the first two letters of each of those exchanges to the telephone buttons, the numeric equivalent for MAIN is 62, for MUTUAL is 68. For example the Sandusky Register telephone number in 1958 was MA 5-5500, or 625-5500. Now the area code 419 is needed to make a call to the Sandusky Register. The MAIN and MUTUAL exchanges were discontinued in 1962, as phone numbers were switched to all numeric dialing.

Mr. Mewborn was active in civic affairs in Sandusky. In 1942 he was the chairman of the campaign committee of the annual Sandusky Community Fund appeal. He was a director of the Citizens Banking Company, member of the Rotary Club, Sandusky Yacht Club, and Telephone Pioneers of America. He was also active in the Masons. He was on the Board of Good Samaritan Hospital, on the Board of the Erie County Chapter of American Red Cross, past president of the Chamber of Commerce, former director of the Salvation Army, former director of the Kiwanis Club, and he served on the Civilian Defense Executive Board.

Harry Mewborn retired from Ohio Telephone Bell Company in 1958, due to declining health. He died on September 20, 1960, and was buried in Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Mewborn made significant contributions to the Sandusky area through his work at Ohio Bell Telephone and through the many hours he donated to community organizations

David M. Arndt, Sandusky Businessman, Local Telephone Pioneer

Mr. David M. Arndt was known as one of Sandusky’s foremost citizens. He moved to Sandusky in the 1860s from Seneca County, Ohio. Mr. Arndt worked in several different lines of work in Sandusky, including grain shipping, a dry goods business, and a stave factory. Additionally, he had been superintendent of the Sandusky Water Works. 

According to an article in the April 9, 1921 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal, the first telephones in Sandusky were brought here as a result of D.M. Arndt’s efforts. It turns out that he was personally acquainted with Alexander Graham Bell. The two gentlemen met in New York in 1878, where Arndt saw a demonstration on an early telephone. Soon Mr. Arndt purchased six telephones and brought them to Sandusky. Several other Sandusky residents also wanted a telephone, so wires were strung across trees and housetops. All six phones were on the same line, and every time a call was made, all the individuals on the crude network could hear the conversation. 

On May 18, 1914, David M. Arndt died at the home of his son, the Rev. Charles Henry Arndt, in Germantown, Pennsylvania. An article in the May 27, 1914 issue of the Sandusky Register stated that on his way home from his daughter’s funeral in Chicago in the fall of 1913, Mr. Arndt stopped by Sandusky on his way back to Germantown. While in Sandusky, He visited with Major C.B. Wilcox, Dr. Charles E. Stroud, and John J. Marquart, and made plans with the group for his own funeral arrangements. Two funerals were held for Mr. Arndt, one in Germantown, and one in Sandusky. In Sandusky, Mr. Arndt’s remains lay in state at the Masonic Temple. James A. Ryan delivered the sermon at the Knights Templar services. He was buried in Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery, next to his wife, Anna Arndt, who had predeceased him in 1909.

Early Telephone Service in Sandusky

An article by Harvey Butler from the Twin Anniversary Edition of the Sandusky Register and Star News, from November 24, 1947 reported that in 1884, there were more than four hundred telephones in operation in Sandusky, Ohio. Four operators worked to handle all the connections from those phones. From the early part of the twentieth century until about 1922, there were two telephone companies in Sandusky. The Central Union Telephone was located on Washington Row, and the Sandusky Telephone Company was on the fourth floor of the Kingsbury Block (Columbus Avenue and Washington Row). There were two exchanges at that time. Central Union Telephone customers used the Bell exchange, and the Sandusky Telephone Company used the Harrison Exchange. Dr. Henry Graefe’s listing in the 1919 Sandusky City Directory had two phone numbers, so that customers from either company could contact his office. His phone numbers were: Bell Main 75 and Harrison 57.  About 1921, the Central Union Telephone Company changed its name to the Ohio Bell Telephone Company. By 1923, there was only one telephone company in Sandusky, the Ohio Bell Telephone Company. These switchboard operators were working at Ohio Bell in 1930.

 Information posted on this picture states that in 1930 there were 75 switchboard operators who handled 45,000 calls from 9,700 Sandusky subscribers.

           

In 1984, Ohio Bell became a part of Ameritech, which later became SBC/AT&T. Of course, millions of individuals all over the world now use cell phones. On several occasions the Ohio Telephone Pioneers, a non-profit organization made up telephone employees and retirees, held their annual meeting at Cedar Point.

Main and Mutual Telephone Exchanges in Erie County

When dial telephone service was begun, telephone numbers often consisted of the first two letters of a word, followed by five numerals. Glenn Miller’s band played the song “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” and the title of the John O’Hara novel Butterfield 8 was a reference to the telephone exchange of the characters.

Between 1958 and 1962, the telephone exchange for Sandusky was MAIN, and the exchange for Castalia was MUTUAL. By correlating the first two letters of each of those exchanges to the telephone buttons, the numeric equivalent is 62 for MAIN and 68 for MUTUAL.

As demand for telephone service grew, the decision was made to switch to all number calling, which allowed for more efficient use of the supply of numbers. An article from the May 11, 1962 Time magazine entitled “By the Numbers” referred to the all number calling plan as a “numerological nightmare.” Dr. Leo Goldberger stated that the use of seven numbers without the letter exchange was similar to an Army serial number, with a loss of individual identity. He continued “one becomes…not only an insignificant cog in a great machine, but anonymous as well.”

Of course, now in the U.S. telephone numbers must include the area code, with the result of each phone number having a total of ten digits. Cellular telephones and phone service through Cable have added exponentially to the number of telephone numbers that exist. The Archives Research Center of the Sandusky Library owns historical city directories for several decades. Browsing through these directories, you can find the names of people and businesses from the past, sometimes with a telephone number listed.

Before the advent of direct dialing, operators placed telephone calls for customers. Pictured below is a group of telephone operators from Sandusky from the 1930’s or 1940’s.