“Hello” Pleasant Valley Historical Society adds Bill Doctorman’s Phone Collection to Museum

Bill Doctorman, who recently died at the age of 89, had an extensive collection of historic phones. He willed that collection to the Pleasant Valley Historical Society (PVHS).  Receipts found for phones that were purchased in his home state of Illinois indicate that he had been accumulating them for most of his lifetime. 

The PVHS museum currently has about 100 phones on display from the late 1880’s through the 1980’s.   Included are the wooden (usually oak) farm phones of various styles through the candlestick and art deco phones. It is fascinating to see how creative American manufacturers could be.  We also have some European phones that illustrate the standardization of style throughout the world.

We received over 200 phones from the Doctorman legacy and will be having a silent auction offering the excess to the community.  In the meantime, stop by to see this unusual exhibit, including a set-up for young children to experience “dialing” a telephone.  The museum is located at 720 North Las Posas Road in Camarillo and is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 PM.  Come by and say “Hello”.

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