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The Naval Academy was founded in 1845, but the telephone was not invented until 31 years later in 1876.
In all probability the telephone was not in general use at the Naval Academy until just a few years before the Spanish-American War in 1898. Based on today’s dependence upon the telephone, there is great wonderment as to how the Academy succeeded so well during its first half century without one!
Up until the turn of the century', the telephone was looked upon as an instrument solely for the use of the servant class. Public apathy was so widespread that for years its proponents despaired of ever seeing it reach its obvious potential.
Most home telephones were installed in the kitchen and were limited to ordering groceries. It was considered most impolite to "ring up” a neighbor and then have the conversation become a shouting match.
From what I have been able to determine throu? my long-time hobby of groping about in Naval Ac3 emy history— it seems the first use of an Aca^^ phone probably was when the superintendent’s co3 man would telephone for an urgently needed carf^tr The Academy stables were located somewhat be)°n College Creek due to horsey odors and annoyance » biting flies in summer.
When I first entered the Navy in 1911 as a landsna^ at the Yeoman School, Goat Island, the telephone was held "out of bounds" for uniformed officers on station. (
It frequently fell my routine duty to sene 3 . orderly to the commandant of Goat Island, R®1' miral C. B. T. Moore. Class of 1873. Whenever ^ admiral had occasion to transact any out-of-offiee p ness he would send a belted messenger—and it r was an appreciable delay by this method he feS° ^ to bugle calls. Somehow Admiral Moore seemed able to transact all official business most expedition' No one on the station enjoyed hearing the sounding raucously across the parade grounds °r
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Only eight numbers were listed for the Naval Academy 1909 when, if the operator could not reach your party- would send a messenger. Today, the Naval Academy c0 publishes its own directory which is five times larger th> this 20-page booklet which served the Annapolis area■