Lexington, Illinois Telephone Service
(June 2005)
From Lexington Unit Journal, March 1914
OUR TELEPHONE SERVICE GOOD
Lexington Home Telephone Co. Best in the State.
How Unceasing Effort Won
Was Promoted by a Lexington Boy
Who Has Realized the Dreams of His Youthful Days
About 17 years ago Lexington had no public telephone service. There were a few private lines constructed by individuals from their places of business to their homes, but these were crude affairs. Two mere boys, L. F. Hyneman and R. O. Beebe, at that time conducted a bicycle shop in a basement room under the Smith block. They were dreamers, they were workers of the sort that make dreams come true. Young Hyneman, was interested in the science of telephony, that wonderful invention for the transmission of the human voice, which at that period was being developed and utilized in the larger cities with a marked degree of success. The few private lines in Lexington suggested the feasibility of a central exchange in this place and fired the imaginative mind of young Hyneman with an ambition to put such a plan into operation. He talked it over with his partner, who became interested, and they went to work in earnest to build Lexington’s first telephone exchange. In the winter of 1896 the bicycle business was dull, and they studied the science of telephony and worked in the construction of a switchboard. The people were skeptical as to the success of the venture, and by some it was treated as a joke. But the earnestness and enthusiasm of the young promoters induced many to become subscribers. Their capital was small and their discouragements many, but they toiled on persistently with undiminished ardor. On April 1, 1897, the dream of the youthful telephone magnates was realized, and they opened their service with 30 bona fide subscribers, beginning business with a home-made switchboard and wires strung and connected with their own hands.
The business was a success from the start, and its growth was as rapid as wires could be placed and instruments installed with the limited capital at their command.
The first central exchange was located in a frame building back of the old Harness-VanDolah bank, and was conducted in connection with the bicycle business of Hyneman & Beebe. The first rates in effect were $1.00 for residence and $1.25 for business houses. There were no country lines at that time.
In 1898 Hyneman bought Beebe’s interest and thereafter conducted the business alone; but all was not smooth sailing for in 1899 a fire broke out in the building and the plant was reduced to ashes and junk. With his usual plunk and energy, Mr. Hyneman bought new paraphernalia and in a month’s time had a new office in operation in the second story of the new State Bank building, with a fine new factory-made switchboard for 100 lines.
Mrs. Margaret Virginia (Hefner) Goddard at the switchboard of the 1st telephone office.
When the business had attained to 100 subscribers, the rates were raised to $1.25 for residences and $1.75 for business service, and have remained at these figures to the present time. During the past 14 years, while the rates have remained stationary, the service has grown from 100 subscribers to 600; thus the subscriber has five times the amount of local service for the same price he paid in 1889, besides the benefit of long distance calls to any part of the country within a radius of 1,500 miles over either Bell or Independent lines.
In 1901 the exchange was removed from the State Bank building to a frame structure located back of the People’s Bank, where it soon outgrew its quarters, and about six years ago the two-story fire-proof building which is now its home was erected and a large switchboard and adequate new equipment for the future growth of the service were installed.
Hyneman Switchboard
June 1, 1905, the business had grown to such proportions that it was necessary to enlist more capital to make necessary improvements and the private enterprise was merged into a company with a capital stock of $20,000, the incorporators being F. L. Hyneman, H. VanGundy, William Edwards and M. M. Hyneman. Since then the capital stock has been increased to $50,000, at which figure it stands at the present time.
In 1903 a rival telephone company was organized under the name of the Prairie Hall Telephone company, which in 1911 was reorganized under the name of the Lexington Telephone company. This exchange was purchased a few months ago by Mr. Ray Blaisdell of Pontiac, Ill., who is the owner of the Fairbury exchange. On December 15, 1913, Mr. Blaisdell sold the Lexington Telephone company exchange to the Hyneman syndicate and the two exchanges were consolidated. This was the master stroke of business diplomacy in the successful career of Mr. Hyneman as a telephone manager and progressive business man, for the benefit of the subscribers of both exchanges. It has strengthened the service from every standpoint. It has eliminated the necessity of business houses or residences maintaining two phones, thus cutting the price of service in half; it more than doubled the scope of the service on the part of one set of subscribers and has abolished the nuisance of one-phone subscribers asking their friends having both phones to transmit messages on the lines of the other exchange, which was often done on the most trivial pretext.
Lexington Home Telephone Company
The service of the Lexington Home Telephone company is the best maintained in any city of this class in the state. Calls are promptly and courteously answered by the operative force, and connections made without unnecessary delay. "Prompt and Efficient Service" has always been Mr. Hyneman’s slogan, and this has re-echoed all down the line of his employees, who know that it meant just what it says. They know that the management demands it and that the word "S-E-R-V-I-C-E" has spelled success for the company. The equipment is modern and of the best, and since the days when the exchange had only 100 subscribers, more than four miles of cable has been installed, about two miles of which is underground.
The local company in future will be under the supervision of the Illinois utilities commission, which was created by act of the last session of the state legislature, the members of which were appointed by Governor Dunne and assumed office when this law went into effect on January 1, 1914. This commission has power to regulate the prices and service of telephone companies, street car, gas, electric light, railroad companies and all other public service utilities.
The long distance records established by the local company are talks of Lexington people with Winnipeg, Canada, and with points in Texas. Of course, such conversations are expensive and not frequently indulged in, but the possibilities of the service have been demonstrated.
Service is maintained by the local exchange on a metropolitan basis and in continuous, day, night, Sundays and holidays, without interruption from one year’s end to the next. This is an important feature much appreciated by the public, and while most of our population are slumbering peacefully after midnight, if a rush call for a physician is necessary or a fire is to be reported, it is a convenience which may save the loss of life or the destruction of property.
For the past three years the expense of maintenance, construction and operating has been about $9,000 per year, and since the consolidation of the two companies it is necessary to expend a large amount in the reconstruction and betterment of the equipment of the absorbed lines. The annual maintenance and operating expenses will also be materially increased.
The company employs regularly a force of 11 people, who make their homes in Lexington, and on-occasions requires extra help. Their employees are receiving wages above the average, and the money put into circulation through the channels of trade by them amounts to many thousands of dollars annually.
Among the younger element of Lexington business men, who, by hard work and persistent effort, have achieved success and won a high place in the world of commerce and industry, there are none more worthy of commendation and honorable mention in this edition than L. F. Hyneman, the story of whose great business enterprise and energy is told in the article concerning the development of the Lexington Home Telephone company, from a home-made switchboard with 30 subscribers, to a $50,000 corporation occupying its own fire-proof building and serving more than 600 satisfied subscribers.
L. F. Hyneman
Levin Franklin Hyneman was born on his father’s farm at the western edge of Lexington, July 8, 1878, the son of Melvin Hyneman, one of the pioneer settlers of this vicinity. He was educated in the Lexington public schools and Fishburn Military academy at Waynesboro, Va. Being of an industrious and mechanical disposition, he opened a bicycle shop before he had completed his schooling, and in partnership with another lad by the name of R. O. Beebe, worked at the business of repairing of bicycles, carrying of stock supplies and bicycles of various kinds. This business occupied his vacation periods and spare time outside of school hours. It was during his school days that he conceived the idea to establishing the telephone exchange, which he accomplished before he quit school. The demands of his business interests cut short his military aspirations and he returned home from Fishburn academy to grow into one of the leading telephone promoters in this section of the country.
In this youth, when bicycle racing was at the height of its popularity, Mr. Hyneman was one of the crack riders of the this part of the country, and followed the state circuit meetings for two years. Beginning in 1894, in amateur races, he continued racing until 1898, and won many medals, cups and trophies of various kinds. One of his early achievements was at the Pontiac meet of the high schools of Livingston and McLean counties, in which he brought home the sweepstakes prize for the Lexington high school by winning four first prizes and one second out of the five bicycle contests. His last important contest, was winning the quarter-mile contest, open to all entrants at the state circuit races in Peoria, Ill, in 1898.
On September 14, 1901, Mr. Hyneman was married to Miss May LaFever, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William LaFever of Lexington. To this union have been born a daughter and two sons: Lucile, aged ten, who is attending the public schools; Lyle, aged six, and Levin, aged three. Mrs. Hyneman is a lady of much social charm and her gracious manners have made her very popular with the people of this community.
Mr. Hyneman’s business interests made him one of the busiest men in the city, but, notwithstanding, he finds time to take an active part in the public movements for the welfare of the town, to which he gives liberal support. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen, and from 1911 to 1913 served as alderman from the First ward. He is highly esteemed as a business man and citizen, and Lexington has reason to be proud of him as one of her native sons.
From Lexington Unit Journal, March 1906
THE TELEPHONE
The telephone is a time saver, it shops in all weather,
Corrects mistakes, hastens deliveries, and saves you time.
It saves letter writing, overtakes telegrams, outstrips messenger boys.
Lengthens your life.
It orders the dinner and invites the guests.
Reserves the tickets and calls the carriage.
It makes appointments, cancels and renews them.
It calls the expressman and reserves the berths.
It instructs the office.
It invites your friends and asks them to stay away,
Asks them to hurry, and enables them to invite you.
It calls the Police, it calls the Fireman, it calls the doctor, and saves emergencies.
It lengthens your days, reduces your worries, saves your temper and lessons your dangers.
It’s useful every day, helpful very often, indispensable on occasion, and is always on duty.
With telephone service living is made easy.
Lexington Home Telephone Company