About

History of the
Manawa Telephone Company

Since 1899,  Manawa Telephone Company has been committed to providing our customers  with high quality communications and service.  We take great pride in being an active partner in the communites we serve and look forward to keeping Manawa connected to the world! 

On May 18, 1899--- Mrs. Ida Stafford (pictured left) holds the distinction of being the first telephone operator for The Little Wolf Telephone Company in Manawa. This switchboard was located in her home which today was the home of Mrs. Henry Jensen. She states that with the new switchboard called The 'Central'  we will have day and night service.

Early in the 1900's U.S. Briggs owned a jewelry store in Manawa and was also proprietor of the Manawa Telephone Exchange.

In 1909 the exchange was sold to Karl Mess who was then manager and owner

In 1910 Karl Mess sold the telephone business to Mr. J.T. Penn.

In 1920 L.M. Lamkins  became Manager of the Manawa Telephone Exchange under the ownership of Mr. Penn.

The year 1937 marked an important milestone in the history of the Manawa Telephone Company with installation and cutting into service on April 1, of a new two-position common battery, non-multiple switchboard. Pictured above is the 1937 Operator Switchboard.

The Telephone Company office as it was in 1937
at 131 2nd Street in Manawa. (right)

Mr. Penn died in 1945 and in the following year ownership changed to Gladys Penn, Ann Pembleton and L. M. Lamkins as a partnership. About 1955 Gladys Penn and Ann Pembleton sold their interest to Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Lamkins and Mr. and Mrs. F.J. Binder.

In 1960 this partnership changed again to L. M Lamkins, Mr. and Mrs. F.J. Binder, Nancy Squires and Shirley Underberg

In 1961 this partnership was dissolved and the Manawa Telephone Company, Inc. was formed. Mr. Lamkins served as President until his death in 1967. Robert E. Squires, who joined the firm in 1952 took over as President and Manager.

Pictured here left to right is Robert (Bob) E. Squires, son in-law of Leslie M. Lamkins, long-time manager and president of the Manawa Telephone Company. Bob is shown testing a line for dial tone with a test set.

Pictured Right ----- The Manawa Telephone Company took another step forward Sunday morning, July 15, 1962, in keeping pace with the progressive era in which we live, when the new dial system went into service. The Stromberg Carlson switch a 400 line system could be expanded to 1000 subscribers. At this time a 36X24 foot addition was needed to house the equipment just west of the building pictured above. In 1969 another step forward to expand and upgrade services was implemented by replacing open wire with new underground cables and upgrade from 10 party lines to 4 parties on a line in the rural area and from 1 and 4 party to 1 and 2 parties on a line. The cost to install the Stromberg Carlson switch was $125,000.

In 1984 the rotary dial switching office was changed out for an advanced digital switch call the Northern Telecom DMS-10 capable of providing all digital switching and advanced services. By this time the telephone industry was going through deregulation with the break up of AT&T and changed the way telephone companies did business.

In 1978 a new building was constructed.

In 1993 Manawa Telephone Company was merged into a holding company along with Manawa Telecom, Inc. (Cable TV) to Manawa Telecommunications, Inc.

In 2009 Manawa Telephone celebrated 110 years of service to the Manawa area.

In May of 2011, construction began on a 4.320 sq ft addition to the building, which includes new offices for the technicians, meeting rooms, added garage space, plus additional space for equipment and inventory.