Archive
PreservedUpdated 5/22/2026
Strowger Telephone Switch Component

Strowger Telephone Switch Component

Made by Automatic Electric Company1924Illinois, United States

A ten-line selector from a Strowger automatic telephone exchange — the electromechanical machinery that first connected calls without a human operator. The stepping switch's clatter was the sound of the automated twentieth century arriving.

Provenance

1924

Manufactured by Automatic Electric, Chicago

documented
1968

Removed during exchange modernization

attributed
1988

Acquired by Lindqvist Workshop Archive

documented
2026

Digitally preserved in Relic

confirmed
Current Custodian
Access Matrix
  • Digital viewingpublic
  • Additional photographsby request
  • Remote video inspectionavailable
  • Research visitowner approval
  • Temporary research loancase by_case
  • Museum exhibition loanavailable
  • Scientific samplingnot permitted
  • Commercial licensingcontact owner
Record Metadata
CategoryIndustrial History
MaterialsBrass, steel, copper contacts, phenolic insulation
Dimensions30 × 12 × 10 cm
ConditionGood; mechanism operates freely
Digital Record
24 high-res images (8,192 × 6,144)
3D Mesh / Photogrammetry
Precise digital measurements
Doc. Score: 60/100Scanned 8/30/2026
Cite this object
Relic Archive. (1924). Strowger Telephone Switch Component [Object record]. Relic Object RL-1924-000045.