WGLT McHistory Series

McHistory: Bloomington-Normal’s Last Switchboard Girls

August 14th, 2019

Listen to the audio on WGLT's website here

McHistory goes back in time to explore big moments and small stories from McLean County history. McHistory episodes can be heard periodically on WGLT's Sound Ideas.

In 1935, switchboard operators for the Wabash Telephone Company handled an average of 60,000 calls coming through its downtown Bloomington building.

This episode of McHistory tells the story of how Bloomington-Normal switchboard girls responded to the introduction of automatic dial systems.

This episode of McHistory was produced by WGLT's Mary Cullen, featuring Bill Kemp and Hannah Johnson of the McLean County Museum of History.

Bill Kemp

Librarian

Contact Bill