Object Details
Collection Creator
United Telegraph Workers.
Western Union Telegraph Company
Collection Citation
Western Union Telegraph Company Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Scope and Contents
Many of the patents in this series trace the development and improvements in the telegraph (and some telephone) apparatus between 1840 and 1954. The patentee subseries is arranged alphabetically by inventor: Charles Buckingham, Thomas A. Edison, Elisha Gray, Samuel F.B. Morse, George Phelps, Joseph Stearn, John Skirrow, and Charles Wheatstone. The numbered patent specifications, 1900-1954, are Western Union Telegraph Company patents. They are organized by type of improvement or invention. Among the patents represented in this subseries are those relating to: signalling systems; switching systems; automatic message exchange system; multioffice systems; storage systems; facsimile systems; oscillator systems; frequency transformation systems; printing telegraph systems; reperferators; repeaters; oscillators; generators; radio antennas; rectifiers; condensers; detectors; static reducers; and batteries. Most of the miscellaneous patents are for improvements to the telegraph, though there are several for electric time-controlling systems and electric clocks.
sova.nmah.ac.0205_ref7796
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Western Union Telegraph Company Records
Date
1840-1970
Archival Repository
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Identifier
NMAH.AC.0205, Series 12
Type
Archival materials
Arrangement
The patent materials are arranged into nine subseries:
1. By patentee, 1840-1914
2. By patent number, 1900-1954
3. Miscellaneous patents, 1846-1908
4. Patent application files, 1954-1966
5. Contract Department correspondence regarding patents, 1927-1945
6. Invention records and submission forms, undated
7. Hazeltine Electronics Division Correspondence, 1960-[1963?]
8. Western Union Transcontinental Microwave System, 1961-1962
9. Litigation materials, 1851-1887
Collection Rights
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Restrictions
Collection is open for research but Series 11 and films are stored off-site. Special arrangements must be made to view some of the audiovisual materials. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
NMAH.AC.0205_ref7796
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep862bd010b-7ca9-4888-9531-06a01002981a
NMAH.AC.0205
ACAH
Record ID
ebl-1503510250829-1503510251586-8