John Miller
Photo provided by Carol Gay.
Operator Mabel Eddy is in charge of her switchboard at âCentral.â
“Hello, Sarah? This is Barney Fife. Get Sheriff Taylor for me.”
This greeting sounds familiar on television but not necessarily for today’s communication standards. In the early days however this was as modern as the times allowed. “Central” was the hub of keeping the lines of communication open. That was where all calls were “put through” as the phrase went.
In Matamoras during the time period of 1926 to 1936, Sophia and Nancy Way were the operators assigned at “Central” and they had no days off for vacation with someone always there 24 hours a day. Other operators over the years included their sister, Josephine Barnhart, plus Lucy Cochran, Helen Taylor, Nellie Fisher, Beryl Hubbard, Leatha Smith, Olga Marsh, Lucy Huffman, Edna Beaver, Ada Machetanz, and Delia Busche. And depending on which older citizens of town you ask, the various locations o