Early telephones operated on batteries and didn't have numbers to dial as today's telephones do. The old telephones were operated by hand cranks; for example a number might be one long and two short cranks or two long and one short crank.
There were several early switchboards in Union County including Paulette Switchboard which started out with Dr. M.L. Jenkins and wife Bertha in a large two story house on Highway 33. The phone service was later changed and became known as the People's Telephone, because the ones who had a phone paid and kept up the lines. There were about 8 or 10 on the line. After moving from the first location, the people who had phones bought some land and built their own building for an exchange. Other early exchanges in Union County were the Jasper Exchange located in the old Hamilton Store Building at Hamilton Cross Roads now Walker Ford Road and Mill Pond Road. Herbert Lay operated the store for many years and the property is still owned by the Lay Family. The Jasper Telephone Exchange was first operated in the Jim Lay home (near the store) on Mill Pond Road. Nell Monroe operated the switchboard there. Around 1915 the Exchange was moved to the second story of this store and was operated by Monte Monroe and Attie Lay. Neighbors who had no phone came to the store to use the direct line to Knoxville; this trunkline ran from Atlanta to Cincinnati. Each subscriber was responsible for the cost of the wire and the poles that connected his phone to the trunkline. The David Exchange was located in Sharps Chapel in the early 1900's. The switchboard was operated by Miss Winnie Davis and other family members. They received the weather report from Knoxville each day and issued it to the community at large. Telephone subscriber's dues were 25 cents per month.
Information taken in part from "Our Union County Heritage" .