Links of Interest - Click on a topic to go directly to that section.
Books & Articles About Telegraphy
- 1906 San Francisco Earthquake
Fascinating account of restoring telegraph service following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. - Behind the wires: A look back at Canada’s golden age of telegraphy
Article about Lavina Shaw, MTC Past-President:
"On the 175th anniversary of Canada’s first telegraph message, a pioneering telegrapher recalls her exciting career"
Canadian Geographic, December 19, 2021.
- Female Telegraphers
Website of the Thomas Jepsen, author of "My Sisters Telegraphic." - My Sisters Telegraphic by Thomas Jepsen
Excellent account of women in the telegraph industry. - The Young Railroaders by Francis Lovell Coombs
Stories of young boys who sometimes use their knowledge of telegraphy to save the day. Also available as an Audiobook.
Historical Figures
- George M. Phelps
John Casale, AB chapter, has put up a website containing the history of Phelps contribution to the telegraph.
Morse Telegraph Club Chapters
The "Mill"
The "Mill" has been released to the public domain and can be downloaded from the link provided. Many thanks to David J. Ring, Jr., N1EA for his efforts in coordinating this.
The "MILL" is being used by a number of us in the MTC to generate Morse Code at demonstrations, etc. The program can generate Morse code of your choosing and key a serial port so that you can use an interface to drive a sounder. You can also generate Morse code, selecting the 'tone' option and record the tones and at some later time play the tape with the speaker output of the recorder into a simple interface (tone decoder) which in turn can be connected to a key of your KOB. Turn on the recorder and you will generate nice Morse. The program also can generate International Morse code. Jim has been adding to his original program over the years. This program has no other equal!! If you are interested in learning Morse code, this program is for you. Jim also has a simulated sounder sound in his program.
Museums & Historical Societies
- Antique Wireless Museum
Museum of the Antique Wireless Association. Home to an active MorseKOB office! - Australia Morsecodians Website
MTC's counterpart "Down-Under"; Interesting simularities, too. - Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
All things railroading in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Telegraph office SB is located in the museum. - EXPORAIL
Canadian Railroad Historical Association
- Spark Museum
Various electrical history. - SCARD - Civil War Signal Corps
SIGNAL CORPS ASSOCIATION (1860-1865) & Its Re-enactment Division SCARD. Scholarly site researching the birth of modern military telecommunication with representatives nationwide. Studies include: wire telegraphy, flag/torch/rocket systems, cipher codes & more! - Speedwell - Historic SpeedwellNational historic site of Alfred Vail. It appears that the Morris County Park Commission has removed all telegraph-related material except for a brief mention of Speedwell.
Railroad-Related Sites
- Add a Working "Telegrapher" to Your Model RR
Article about using telegraphy on a model railroad layout. - All About the Street Car, Trolley and Subways
Just what it says. Thanks to Nicole from the Lyndhurst Stem Club for Girls for the link. - Atlantic Coast Line Seaboard Airline Historical Society
Our Florida chapters often do work for the ACL or SAL. - East Broad Top Railroad
Back in operation, this 3-foot narrow guage railway dates back to 1872. - GM&O Historical SocietyGulf, Mobile & Ohio Historical Society.
- Great Northern Railway Historical Society
The GNRHS is dedicated to the preservation, study, and history of one of America's greatest railroads, the Great Northern Railway. - The Huntsville Lake of Bays Railway
This is an excellent website of a railway society in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. Home of "The Portage Flyer". They also have an excellent telegraph display! They also have telegraph demonstrations throughout the summer months. - Michigan Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, MI
The KB DIALUP HUB was previously located at this museum. It is also where Bro. Jim Wades has set-up a working display of telegraph equipment donated from Ace Holman's collection. - Silver Creek and Stephenson Railroad
Freeport, IL - Trains Magazine
Need we say more? - Union Pacific Railroad
The "official" UPRR company website.
Wireless-Related Sites
- Antique Wireless AssociationJust what it sounds like.
- The Art & Skill of Radiotelegraphy by Bill Pierpont
Great resource for learning International Code. The principles also apply to Morse. - The Quarter Century Wireless Association
- The XTAL Set Society
Recordings - Audio & Video
- Green Valley Line
Radio program from the mid-1930's about a fictional back country railroad. Contains references to telegraph and some sound effects. 26 episodes, each about 15 minutes. Supposedly used the same cast as the Lone Ranger radio program, but this has not been confirmed. - Interview of 2 Canadian Telegraphers, Heritage Park, Calgary
- Interview of Lavina Shaw, MTC Past President
- The Morse Telegraph presented to AWA by MTC Member Chris Hausler
- MTC Member Chris Hausler at AWA Museum
- New York Times Morse Wire Last Day 1951
Many thanks to David J. Ring for providing the cleaned up audio. A recording of the last day of operation of the New York Times NYC-Washington, DC leased line in 1951. Published by J. Ralph Graham with added introduction by David J. Ring, Jr. who converted the file to electronic format. - Silver Creek & Stephenson RR Demonstration
Made by MTC member Norm Aulabaugh, this video shows MTC members Keith Lebaron, Lester Fouke, and Jim Adkins demonstrating telegraphy. Norm also makes an appearance as a conductor. - The Pulse of the World
Silent film produced in 1924 by Postal Telegraph. The first half is about their undersea cables, including a fascinating look at the repair of undersea cables. The second half focuses on the landline operations including testing and locating a downed line. - The Victorian Internet
An excellent video by MTC Member Kevin Jepson.
- The Young Railroaders by Francis Lovell Coombs - Audiobook
Stories of young boys who sometimes use their knowledge of telegraphy to save the day. Also available in text form.
- Recreating Baseball Games from Telegraphed Reports
5:48 - President Ronald Reagan describing his experiences when he was a sports director in Iowa.
Recreating Baseball Games from Telegraphed Reports
Ronald Reagan as WHO Sportscaster, Des Moines, Iowa
- Wire to the West - The Cavalcade of America, starring Raymond Massey
Broadcast August 30, 1949, this was the dramatized story of the birth of Western Union. The Cavalcade of America was a radio program sponsored by the Du Pont Co. ("Maker of Better Things for Better Living Through Chemistry"). This is from the 15th year of the series. The accompanying script is marked "as broadcast."
Raymond Massey
Wire to the West
Suppliers
The Morse Telegraph Club, Inc. neither endorses nor warrants the suppliers listed here.
They are provided solely as a convenience.
- Morgan's Elk Creek Enterprizes
MorseKOB TurnKey Interface and other recreated telegraph-related items.
- River Junction Trading Co.
Good source for authentic late 1800/early 1900 clothing (incl. Sleeve Protectors). Outfit yourself with authentic costume at your next demo! - The J. H. Bunnell & Company
Yes, indeed, still in business today. This link is also under Telegraph Sites as it contains lots of useful information.
Technical Information
- The Aurora Borealis and the Telegraph
Interesting information on the effects the "Northern Lights" have had on telegraphic communications.
Telegraph-Related Sites
- Canadian Rail Telegraph
Canadian Telegraph History Page. By R.G. Burnet. - Fons Vanden Berghen's Collection of "TELEGRAPHS FROM EUROPE"
Approximately 300 color photographs, including many of the ones presented in Fons's book on telegraphy in Europe. - National Insulator Association
All about insulators and collecting; photos of very rare and old telegraph insulators. - MyInsulators.com
Loaded with all sorts of insulator info and photos.
- John Casale's Telegraph History Website and Articles
If you have not read any of John's writings, you are in for a treat. And it is all telegraph related! Of particular interest regarding telegraph instruments, go to this site and click on the Bunnell vs Bunnell story. The story is rather interesting. However, watch for a photograph of the cover of a Bunnell catalogue and in the black outline under the photograph is a link listed in red color on black, which old eyes may miss. Click on the link just described and you will taken to the index of the catalogue. Find page one and start there. At the bottom of each page there is a link to the next page. - Missouri Pacific RR
While this is about the RR, check out their Archives for all sorts of tidbits on depots and operations. Even has a collection of Dispatcher Sheets. Check it out! - N7CFO Newsletter
Lynn Burlingame has been collecting telegraph instruments for over 20 years. He has written a newsletter- the "N7CFO Keyletter" since 1992. His website is worthy of your visit. - Sparks Telegraph Review
Contains a lot of information on both wireless and landline telegraphy. - Telegraph Lore
Greg Raven's site "Dedicated to the study of all aspects of Morse Telegraphy." - Telephone Equipment in Railway Applications
This is an excellent site on telephone equipment used in railroad applications. Lots of good information!
- The J. H. Bunnell & Company
Yes, indeed, still in business today. Lots of information here! This link is also under Suppliers. - The Telegraph Office
Neal McEwen's Treasure Trove of Landline and Wireless telegraphy and instrument collecting. Along with Tom Perera's site below, Neal has had an internet museum for a number of years. The W1TP and Neal's Telegraph Office are both "must visit" websites. - The Westbound Stage
Welcome to the "Old West." Covers the stage coach, Wells-Fargo, railroads, some telegraph, and other Old West subjects. - Tom Perera, W1TP, Telegraph & Scientific Instrument Museums
Tom has an extensive collection of links and lots of reference about keys from a historical sense. Includes photographs, drawings, data, links, etc.
Broken Wires
Links from the old website that appear to be broken. Please contact MTC if you have any information about a new, working link.
Links from the old website that appear to be broken. Please contact MTC if you have any information about a new, working link.
- International Railway Links
Links to railroading, model railroading and railroads all over the globe. - Midwest Signal Corps and United States Military Telegraph (USMT)
The Signal Corps and Telegraph detachment in the heart of the midwest associated with the Ohio Valley Civil War Association. See the Beardslee Telegraph Machine as it was reproduced! Very Informative! - MTC Southern California Chapter - SQ
- MTC Spokane Chapter - SK
- Northern Pacific Railway
- Samuel F. B. Morse - As Presented by Locust Grove
Appears to have been hijacked. - Smithsonian's History of Western Union
Smithsonian Institute's register of historic items donated by W.U. The page is long and will take a bit to load; most of the content will be of interest only to historians, but it does contain a good comprehensive history of W.U. - Telegraphy on the Internet
Sid Vaughan and a few others have been chatting via the telegraph on the internet. Sid's website is no longer up. - The Electromagnetic Telegraph
"A technical history of the 19th-century electromagnetic telegraph, with special reference to the origin and variety of the alphabets, or codes, that were used." Composed by Dr. James B. Calvert, Associate Professor Emeritus of Engineering, University of Denver. Registered Professional Engineer, State of Colorado No.12317 - The Guglielmo Marconi Foundation
