In the late 1800s, two local men invented two types of telephones, similar but different from Bells’ style, and actually hooked them up in Watsonville! In 1877, W. A. Beck invented a telephone energized by a horseshoe magnet that was practical only for short distances. It was used between the Beck home and the Blackburn home — a distance of one block! This phone was said to be the first invented in California, and if capital could have been raised at the time there is no telling what might have happened, according to historian Betty Lewis. (Bell patented his telephone in 1876.)
Another local resident, Fred Hiscox invented a telephone, very different from the others, where the sounder and speaker carried sound more clearly than the Bell telephone. (Apparently these men are only known locally, as I could find no reference to them on the internet.)
The Pajaronian reported on December 1879: “A telephone line was put up between Ford’s store and Pajaro depot by the Watsonville Mill and Lumber Company on Sunday last. The line is nearly a mile and a half in length, and the cost of construction was light. The lumber company has made Pajaro their headquarters and in the future Pajaro will be their lumber yard base. The main office will remain in Ford’s store and as the business of the company is heavy, the telephone will save much travel back and forth and also, be a saving in wear and tear of buggy and horse flesh. The line works perfectly and could not give better satisfaction. The telephone has created much curiosity in town, and is truly a wonderful invention…”
In January 1884, the Sunset Telephone Company put up lines connecting San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, Hollister, Salinas and Monterey. However, few telephones were actually in service at this time. A small telephone book was printed in 1898 containing a complete listing of telephone numbers for Washington, Oregon and California, including a section for San Francisco’s Chinatown. Watsonville had 76 telephones and most were for businesses with connections to residences for doctors, harness makers, and undertakers.
Recently AT&T has been talking about no longer supporting our conventional land line telephones. Today even though almost everyone has a cell phone, we hope those who still need or want to keep their land line telephones will be able to do so.