National Office & Museum
The ITPA Telephone Museum is open to the public, Monday through Friday from 10 am - 4 pm. It is recommended that you call ahead to ensure the museum is open on the day you want to visit. There are times when the museum has to be closed during normal operating times. A donation of $3.00 per person is recommended for admission to help maintain the museum. For more information or to schedule a visit, contact the ITPA Executive Director at 912-408-4872.
Once located in Washington, D.C., ITPA's National Office and Museum relocated in 2001 to the small, beautiful city of Hinesville in Liberty County, Georgia. Nestled beneath the majestic oaks draped elegantly with Spanish moss, the National Office occupies the former family home of Glenn E. and Trudie Bryant. Mr. Bryant was a pioneer for Hinesville, Liberty County, and the telephone industry alike. He was the founder of Coastal Communications. He bought the Hinesville Telephone Company in 1946, later acquired the Coastal Telephone Company in Richmond Hill, GA, and merged the two under the name of Coastal Utilities (now operating as CenturyLink). Bryant, who died in 1999, also served as a Georgia State Senator and was a visionary in business, political, community, and charitable ventures. His philanthropic legacy is carried on by the work of the Glenn E. and Trudie Bryant Family Foundation.
The 156-acre property, located in the heart of Hinesville, was donated to the family foundation and was envisioned as a "passive park" by Mr. and Mrs. Bryant. Through a joint venture with the Bryant Family Foundation and the City of Hinesville, plans for "Bryant Commons" were developed and include an outdoor amphitheater, Veterans Memorial Park, Bramble's Play Ground, Cisco's Dog Park, 15-acre fishing pond and walking trails. Plans are currently underway to include a community center pavilion, picnic areas, and renovations to existing buildings.
The former "main house" on the property has been moderately renovated to accommodate the daily office operations of the ITPA Executive Director, as well as house the museum displays and provide storage for the hundreds of artifacts that outline the history of the telephone industry. Future development calls for potential expansion of the museum to a larger building on the property, but ITPA will continue to call Bryant Commons home. Plans are in development to construct a memorial within the "main house" and outside in the garden to pay homage to the Bryant's, in honor of their dedication to leadership and community service.
The museum consists of a vast collection of telephones and telephone equipment from throughout history. Children and adults alike may find it fascinating to see how the telephone evolved from the solid wood, wall-mounted, hand-cranked, operator-directed, simplistic designs of the past to today's pocket-sized, touch-screen, cellular phones.
Museum Gallery