Crank phone statue dedicated in Maine [Telecom]

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WOODSTOCK, Maine - The western Maine town where America's last hand-cranked phones were used now has a reminder of its place in history: a 14-foot statue of one of the antique phones.

Despite rainy conditions, a crowd turned out Monday for the dedication of the statue in Woodstock. That also marked the 25th anniversary of the last call made by a hand-cranked phone belonging to the Bryant Pond Telephone Co. in October 1983. The company was later acquired by the Oxford County Telephone & Telegraph Co.

The 1 1/2-ton, black steel statue was sculpted by Gil Whitman of Woodstock, a cousin of former Bryant Pond phone company owner Elden Hathaway. The sculpture's crank works, and Whitman plans to install a bell that will sound when the crank is turned.

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Information from: Sun-Journal,