WOODSTOCK – The Woodstock Historical Society recently viewed a video on on old-fashioned crank phones that required having an operator on duty.

In the early days the local operator knew about everything in town. With party lines, so did many of the locals. Women typically worked as operators since it required a gentle manner. The switchboards were usually in homes, and they ran 24 hours a day. The operator was a major resource in an emergency. She became an icon of popular culture. But conversion to dial came because of general overload.

Bryant Pond was the last town with a crank system. The Woodstock Historical Society Museum is one of the few places where crank phones are still hooked up and operational.

During the business meeting, Olive Risko gave research reports. Programs to the end of the year were discussed. Curator Larry Billings supplied an essay on Easter and some eggs for decoration. Elaine Roberts and Ruth Cox brought refreshments.

The next society meeting will be at 7 p.m. May 10 in the museum. The program will be the first half of the video, “Reminisce Hitch,” about a team of Belgian horses crossing the U.S.