Here is an interesting party line card from an WE 307

[RotoTech99]

Dear Forum:

Here is an interesting party line number card... I've no idea where it originated from, but it says "Delavan 181-21" It's on a WE 307.

According to the inside stamped dates it is probably from the 1945-1946 period.

It came from a friend living around Moore, OK as best I know; if anyone can fill in some blanks about the card, I would appreciate more information and advice on it, please.

BTW: The rubber band around the H1* lower housing is holding two corner repaired with acetone until I'm sure they are cured properly.


The original H7 had some bad warping, so the housing was replaced with the corners repaired H1 housing. It fitted on without issues.

Thank you,
RotoTech99

[poplar1]

There is (or was) a Delavan, Oklahoma. Only Google reference I saw was in the 1917 Standard Poland-China Record.

181 is the line number. 21 is the party code (possibly 2 long 1 short).

[RotoTech99]

Dear Poplar1:

I'll google that and see what comes up on it.

Thanks,
RotoTech99

[RotoTech99]

Dear Poplar1:

I saw the Poland-China record you mentioned, there were in Google searches mentioned Delevan, WI, & Delevan, NY
as well.

I'll pop the number card out, that might tell me a little more.

RotoTech99

[RotoTech99]

Dear Poplar1:

I did some checking on the Delavan name on my 307's number card, and there is a Delevan, Wisconsin with the exchange name SAratoga, but I'll have to look up the digit at the end...

The prefix was 728, (Saratoga according to the TENP.   websites, but it doesn't appear to correspond with the 181-21 on my number card.

It looks like that might be the only thing that comes close to corresponding to the number on a guess.

If anyone else knows something on this, it would certainly be a lucky find.

BTW: There was nothing else on the back of the card, but it had the wedge shaped cutout instead of slot in the edge of the card.

Also I patched a, minor chip on one side of the receiver end of the handset, a little  OC7fixed it; all it has to do is cure now.

The handset cord is a "fat" three conductor straight cord with rubber jacket.

RotoTech99

[poplar1]

A Poland-China pig  named "Cherokee Giantess" was sold to B. C. Martin of Delavan, Okla., May 31, 1916. (Standard Poland-China Record,1917, page 391)

Since you got this from a friend in OK, don't you think the phone is more likely from OK than NY or WI?

3-digit central office codes such as SA ratoga 8 or 728 were not common in 1946. I believe that only New York, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia were large enough to require 7 dial pulls at that time.

When the top line on the number card has only one large cap ("DELAVAN") or all large caps ("DELAVAN"), this is usually a location rather than a number actually dialed. Your 307 was a manual (non-dial) phone, and the spacing indicates a party code (21). Often, these cards would have been stamped something like "181 R 21"

[Babybearjs]

you know, the 21 could be a reference to an extension....

[RotoTech99]

I think you're right, but I'd love to know what happened to Delavan, Ok

[poplar1]

you know, the 21 could be a reference to an extension....

Which PBX would have used 307 sets?

[RotoTech99]

Dear Forum:

ISTR there was a question about the exchange name on my 307; in particular the case of the letters in "Delavan" on the card...

The "D" is in super script, the other letters in the name are uppercase subscript, or smaller than the uppercase "D".

RotoTech99