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Visit: There are many good museums and archives to visit.
The Capehart Communications Collection, owned by Western Electric retiree Don Capehart and his wife, Rita (and operated out of an old Coca-Cola bottling factory next to their home in Corsicana, Texas), is a unique collection of communications equipment, telephones that span many ages from the end of the Victorian Age to modern times, media sources such as magazines, posters, and records, and other trinkets and gadgets used throughout the history of communication. The Collection shows the history of a major company, Western Electric, and its vital role in developing the telecommunication business.
Begun in 1984, the collection has grown into one of the nation's largest privately owned museums of its kind. Western Electric was the manufacturing arm of the Bell System. From sewing machines to switches, telephone booths to toilets -- the Capehart Collection contains examples of many items manufactured by the Western Electric Company through the years. It also includes artifacts, documents, and memorabilia from Bell Labs and AT&T.
As impressive as the collection is, the real treat is the personalized tour given by Don or Rita. The stories of ingenuity and invention behind the artifacts make history fun for young and old alike.
Mailing Address: Don and Rita Capehart
409 S. Ninth St.
Corsicana, TX 75110-6502
Telephone: (903) 872-0440
Fax: (903) 872-0441
Email: ritaanddoncapehart@sbcglobal.net
Web site: http://telephonemuseum.info
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