Western Union: A Hive of Service
Dublin Core
Title
Western Union: A Hive of Service
Alternative Title
Western Union
Subject
Sanford (Fla.)
Telegraph--Florida
Western Union Telegraph Company
Description
A magazine article about the Western Union Telegraph Company office located at 201 East First Street in Sanford, Florida, in 1926. According to the article, the telegraph business in Sanford was developing rapidly. The office's manager, L. Tharp, explained that in 1924, the local office only employed two day clerks, one day operator, one night operator, four messenger boys, and a manager. In 1926, when the article was published, the office employed three day operators, one night operator, four day clerks, one cashier, two night clerks, twelve messenger boys, one manager, and one linesman. The article also states that 36 lines lead out of Sanford, with half going to Tampa and half going to Jacksonville.
The Western Union Company was originally organized in 1851 under the name the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company. In 1855, the company merged with the New York & Western Union Telegraph Company. Western Union grew rapidly, opening its first transcontinental telegraph in 1861. The first stock ticker was introduced in 1866 and standardized time service became available in 1870. In 1871, the company began its money transfer service. Although Western Union initially tried to participate in telephone services, it ultimately abandoned telephone communications when it lost a patent lawsuit with the Bell Telephone Company in 1879. Nonetheless, Western Union continued to develop new services for their customers, including the first charge card for consumers in 1914, teletypewriters in 1923, singing telegrams in 1933, intercity faxes in 1935, commercial intercity microwave communications in 1943, Telex services for customers in New York City in 1958, and Candygrams in the 1960s.
The Western Union Company was originally organized in 1851 under the name the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company. In 1855, the company merged with the New York & Western Union Telegraph Company. Western Union grew rapidly, opening its first transcontinental telegraph in 1861. The first stock ticker was introduced in 1866 and standardized time service became available in 1870. In 1871, the company began its money transfer service. Although Western Union initially tried to participate in telephone services, it ultimately abandoned telephone communications when it lost a patent lawsuit with the Bell Telephone Company in 1879. Nonetheless, Western Union continued to develop new services for their customers, including the first charge card for consumers in 1914, teletypewriters in 1923, singing telegrams in 1933, intercity faxes in 1935, commercial intercity microwave communications in 1943, Telex services for customers in New York City in 1958, and Candygrams in the 1960s.
Source
Original newspaper article: "Western Union: A Hive of Service." This Week in Sanford, Vol. 02, No. 04, August 9, 1926. Sanford Museum, Sanford, Florida.
Publisher
Curnick, Arthur A.
Date Created
ca. 1926-08-09
Date Copyrighted
1926-08-09
Date Issued
1926-08-09
Contributor
This Week in Sanford
Has Format
Digital reproduction of original newspaper: This Week in Sanford, Vol. 01, No. 12. Tag number DP0008907. Central Florida Memory. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/120890.
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original newspaper article: "Western Union: A Hive of Service." This Week in Sanford, Vol. 02, No. 04, August 9, 1926.
Is Part Of
Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Is Referenced By
This Week in Sanford, Vol. 02, No. 04, page 10.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
94.2 MB
Medium
1 newspaper article
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Western Union Telegraph Company, Sanford, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Provenance
Originally created and owned by This Week in Sanford.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the Sanford Museum and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Source Repository
External Reference
This Week in Sanford, Vol. 02, No. 04, August 9, 1926. Central Florida Memory. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/CFM/id/120890.
"Western Union Chronology of Events - 1851-1995." Western Union Alumni. http://www.westernunionalumni.com/history.htm.
Coe, Lewis. The Telegraph: A History of Morse's Invention and Its Predecessors in the United States. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1993.
Wu, Tim. The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010.
Winston, Brian, and Brian Winston.Media Technology and Society: A History : from the Telegraph to the Internet. London: Routledge, 1998.
Document Item Type Metadata
Text
1 newspaper article
Collection
Citation
“Western Union: A Hive of Service,” RICHES, accessed May 20, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/3028.