Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum

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The Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum is housed in a beautifully restored 1896 building that is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located in the 426-acre Jefferson Barracks Historic Park which is a 15 minute drive south of downtown St. Louis. In addition to its extensive collection of telephones manufactured from the late 1880s through 2000s, the museum also contains: • A working Central Office Step Switch. • Operator switchboards from the 1920s and 1960s. • Military telephones from WWI through the Gulf War. • Hundreds of telephone-related equipment and tools. • A telephone pole complete with climbing equipment. • Hundreds of pieces of telephone-related memorabilia. • A large variety of novelty telephones. • A sculpture of Alexander Graham Bell and history of the invention of the telephone. Members of the Telecom Pioneers, a non-profit 501(c)(3) telephone company employee service organization, and their families and friends have spent over 66,500 hours in repairing and renovating the building. The self-guided, accessible museum has many hands-on, “how things work” displays. The displays were created to inspire an interest in Engineering and History. Boy Scouts can utilize the museum to meet one of their Inventing and Engineering merit badge requirements. Guided tours are available for groups of 10 or more and should be scheduled at least two weeks prior to the tour. Admission: $5-Adults, $4-Seniors age 60+, $3-Children ages 5-12, Free-Children 4 years and under. Free-Active Military members. Groups of 10 or more each receive $1 off their admission. Enjoy nostalgia from the early years of the telephone. It’s a fun family adventure, an educational field trip for students and an enjoyable group outing.