The Telephone on Prince Edward Island - Life on a Party Line!

I vaguely remember my family being on a party line for a while when I was a kid. The fact that my father was a doctor I think got us moved to the front of the line for a private line - no doubt in large part to the snoopiness of some gossipy folks who had access to party lines!

Oooh, how the grapevine loved party lines. And oh, how some folks liked telling tall tales on the phone just to see who spread them about!

From the title-linked web page:

For many years, the telephone was not only a necessity, but also great neighbourhood entertainment! Rural lines were party lines for many years. Each subscriber on the line had a unique ring, i.e. two longs, or one long, one short, two shorts, etc. This system was called "coded ringing". The phones of every subscriber on the line rang at the same time, and it was great sport to listen in to the conversations of everyone on the line. There were still party lines in the country in P.E.I. until quite recently, the number of subscribers on each party line gradually reduced, and party lines finally eliminated across the Island around 1997.

There are many amusing stories about this sport, and in general about early telephones and exchanges, and I intend to pass along some of these on this page as it develops. Every one who has lived through the history of a rural telephone system until more recent years is bound to have some interesting stories. Those who worked for telephone companies as linesmen, installers, or operators will have other interesting stories.

Please share your stories with us. These need not be limited to P.E.I. ...

And lest you start letting yourself feel smug about poor little Prince Edward Island being behind the times on phones (assuming you got off party lines in your neck of the woods first), I would like to make clear that P.E.I. had a phone exchange back in 1884, thanks.

The "Life on a Party Line" page has some fun stories - be sure and send in yours if you have some good ones.