Phone service at Bethel consisted of a switchboard in the house of the telephone operator who was always available. Telephone lines were strung in every direction from poles shipped in from somewhere back east. We had very little privacy on these phones, as all the subscribers were on the same line and the curious could pick up and listen to anyone�s conversation. One could hear mysterious breathing or a furtive click and would know that someone was listening.
Each telephone sat in a box on the wall and had a little bell on top that would ring every time anyone had a call. Each subscriber to the party line had a number of rings the indicated whom the call was for. If it rang four rings it was meant for the Books but anyone who wanted to know what the phone call was about could just pick it up and listen.
The rural telephone brought great progress to our community. The frequent fires were more controllable when help could be summoned by phone and when the doctor was needed, this modern convenience, the telephone could save a life. Of course everyone was not on the telephone line, but at one time, our little exchange had as many as 150 subscribers.
Talmadge Davidson remembers that the Henderson�s lived in the second house north of the General Store; they had the Telephone Office in their home. Their daughters, Charlotte and Charlene went to school at Bethel and Charlene was in my grade, they were related to the Sheriff family. Bill Tyner and his wife operated the telephone office when it closed.
T. A. Sheriff bought the Telephone Exchange and moved it into his business while he was running the Bethel Store and Ora ran the switchboard.
