Cuyahoga Falls Media

In November of 1847 Cuyahoga Falls was linked to the outside world by telegraph. The company, with lines to Pittsburgh and Cleveland via Beaver Falls, Pa., also had offices in Lisbon, Canton and Akron Ohio. It was the Lake Erie Telegraph Company with its local office in the back room of the Heath Drug Store.

William Scupholm, the Falls health officer for many years, was the first telegraph operator and it was he who took the sad news of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination as it was announced over the wire in 1865.

Telephones in Cuyahoga Falls homes were first installed after the first exchange was built in 1882.  There were only 35 local telephones and they had access to only a small local area of less than 150 phones.

The first telephone exchange was opened in a small room aobut 10 feet square in the rear of Mercer's Drug Store and was opened by the Central Union Telephone Co.

The room was crowded with furniture. In addition to a 50-wire switchboard, there was an old cupboard through which passed the wires (there was no cable then). In the bottom of the cupboard was stored the night operator's bedding which at night he spread out on chairs or on the floor. A small rickety kitchen table served as a desk and an old fashioned coal stove kept the room warm in winter and added to the operator's duties by requiring frequent attention. A public telephone placed on the wall next to the switchboard attracted the public to the exchange to make calls.

Fred Wills was the first operator on duty at the exchange and H. E. Allen the second. Miss Laura M. Hall was  placed on duty in 1885.

The Cuyahoga Falls office was installed under M. J. Carney, manager of the Central Union at Akron. Miss Hall's brother, W. C. Hall was the first manager at Cuyahoga Falls.

Because of the cramped conditions and the inconvenience of the location, the office was moved to the Apollo Building in 1888. Shortly before the move took place, Mr. Hall resigned as manager and Miss Hall took his place continuing in this position until 1897 when she became associated with the AT & T.

Blake transmitters and grounded circuits added to the problems of the operators. It was almost impossible to talk to Akron, only five miles away. The trouble was worse after a streetcar was extended from North Hill to the Falls. The line ran parallel with the telephone wires. Citizens would have to wait until the streetcars passes the route so they could continue their conversations.

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