Johnson County Genealogical & Historical Society

Goreville's First Telephone Service

Will Terry founded the Goreville Telephone Company before 1913.  The business was first operated from the family home located in "Old Town," on South Fly Avenue, known later as the "Newton Place." A family operated business, the Terry's had the switchboard in the northwest front room of the home, and across the hall, another front room served as the parlor.  The eight children and their mother, Necy, kept the company running.

Henry Terry, the last of those eight to die, said several years ago, that he remembered running the switchboard.  "I spent many hours running the switchboard."  "I spent many hours there, when I'd rather be outside playing."  His bed, a folding cot, was about three feet from the switchboard, and when the loud bell range at night, it was his job to answer and connect the parties.  Henry said, of eight children, he was probably the one who spent more time answering the switchboard.

There were no telephone lines east of Goreville for many years, because according to Will Terry, those people out there could not afford telephones.  Telephone customers came to the Terry residence to pay their monthly bills, which in those days, was $1.00, excluding long distance, that cost a few cents extra.  The lines were shared by ten or so neighbors and each could listen in to conversations.  Each telephone had a certain number of long and short rings - a signal to answer the phone.

 For more information on Goreville's Early Telephone System, see the full story, written by Dixie Terry in the June 2010 issue of the "Johnson County Heritage Journal," published monthly for distribution to members of the Johnson County Genealogical & Historical Society.  See our website for information on membership at  http://johnsoncountyil.net