ColchesterTalks.com Free and open access to Colchester's rich history.
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ColchesterTalks.com Free and open access to Colchester's rich history.
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We take telephone services and postal delivery for granted. Yet, it's interesting to look at how long it took certain technologies to arrive in town. It's interesting to note that it only took Colchester 5 years to get telephone service. It took Colchester 11 years to get postal service. The following narratives were compiled from past newspaper articles and public record.
The first telephone exchange, operating under license from Bell Telephone, opened in New Haven, CT in 1878. Within three years, telephone exchanges existed in most major cities and towns in the United States, operating under licenses from what was now the American Bell Telephone Company. (a)
Telephone service arrived in Colchester in 1883. At that time, two subscribers were listed on the directory. (b) 1883-1906 Colchester service was party lines going through the Norwich Exchange. (b)
1906: Colchester is given it's own exchange. There were 76 subscribers. (b) 1960: Tolls calls eliminated between Westchester and central Colchester. (c)
1961:Direct dial services for long distance and inter exchange were started. There were 1,300 subscriber (d) 1969: SNET adds new equipment to Colchester switching station. There were 3,400 subscribers. (a) 1986: Touch Tone service arrives to Colchester. In June 1788, the ninth state ratified the Constitution, which gave Congress the power "To establish Post Offices and post Roads" in Article I, Section 8. A year later, the Act of September 22, 1789 (1 Stat. 70), continued the Post Office and made the Postmaster General subject to the direction of the President. Four days later, President Washington appointed Samuel Osgood as the first Postmaster General under the Constitution. A population of almost four million was served by 75 Post Offices and about 2,400 miles of post roads. (1)
1799: Colchester Post Office established. Samuel A. Peters first Post Master. (2) 1958: Rural Free Delivery extended to Holiday Homes (Alexander Drive, Chestnut Drive et al.) In effect, increasing free delivery services to eliminate people coming to their PO Boxes at the Post Office. 1963: Zip codes were first assigned. North Westchester was assigned 06474 for P.O. Box delivery. At that time, there were about 100 Boxes. According to Diana Norton, her family was P.O. Box 4, the Paper Mill was P.O. Box 13 and the Piekarz Family was box 42. The rest of Colchester was assigned 06415. 1990's(?) Westchester and North Westchester zip code reassigned to 06415. In effect giving all of Colchester one zip code for the first time.
(a) http://www.att.com/history/history1.html (c) Colchester Citizen December 4, 1959 (d) Colchester Citizen November 26, 1958
(1) http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub100/pub100.htm#thepostal (2) 1948 Colchester Annual Report p.9
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