By Steve Jakobovic

With cellular service getting faster and faster, it’s hard to imagine that 50 years ago operators were still manually connecting Louisa residents to each other from work-stations like the one pictured here.  The first calls in Louisa were placed in 1898, and by 1952 operators were connecting about 2,700 local and 200 long-distance calls per day. Operators worked out of several locations in the County, including Beeler’s Appliances, now Graven Craig’s law office on Main Street.

As Porter C. Wright noted in a Central Virginian article in our archives, not only were operators connecting calls, but they were also a part of the fabric of the community. Each time you picked up a phone, a human voice greeted you, like Ms. Ada Flanagan. Ms. Flanagan was the first telephone operator in Louisa and worked for the telephone company for about 25 years. Over a generation of people grew up hearing her voice over the telephone line! Operators did more than just connect calls; they might also be able to locate a family member or tell you where the fire was if the sound of blaring sirens piqued your interest. 

On February 19, 1967, fully automated telephone service was established in Louisa. While some folks, like Mr. Wright, felt a sadness over the ending of an institution, others embraced the change. That said, you might relate to Mr. Wright’s wistfulness the next time you find yourself hoping to “speak to a representative” on one of the myriad of automated telephone services we must navigate through today.

It might not be easy with their backs turned to the cameras, but if you can identify any of the women in the picture, please let us know at louisahistory@verizon.net.