Farmer's Phone, 1894

Around 1900, the Bell Telephone system was widespread, but served mostly urban areas on the East Coast. Independent telephone systems sprang up to provide service to rural customers. Most independents used phones from independent telephone manufacturers, like Stromberg-Carlson, a Chicago company whose "farmer's phone" introduced many rural Americans to the way telephones could shrink long distances. This phone was used in Cookeville, Tenn., from 1894 to 1905.