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Off the hook: Why NH’s telephone museum is busting at the seams.To anyone unfamiliar with the New Hampshire Telephone Museum, the name alone may not catch their attention.But tucked away in Warner is a treasure trove of stories, artifacts and nostalgia that offers a unique journey through communication history.From wall-mounted telephones dating back to the 1800s to novelty phones and more modern technology, this unique museum offers a fascinating look at how our forms of communication have evolved.“The collection is an outstanding collection.It’s taken a lot of years and tremendous dedication from the collections committee.We’re very proud of the collection,” said Graham Gifford, the museum’s executive director.This year marks the 150th anniversary of the first phone call made by Alexander Graham Bell.It’s also the 21st year of the museum at 1 Depot St., which was established in 2005 and began as a dream of the late Alderic O.“Dick” Violette, who wanted to showcase his collection of telephone equipment, which included many phones, tools, books and other telecommunication memorabilia.Today, the museum operates as a nonprofit, welcoming over 4,000 visitors every year.When people walk through the doors for the first time, Gifford said they’re often surprised by the many exhibits that extend beyond the more than 1,000 phones, many of which have come from New Hampshire and other parts of New England.“Their reaction is amazement and surprise.First of all, they think it’s going to be one or two phones, spider-ridden and dusty.They don’t expect it to be so bright and clean,” she said.Gifford describes it as more of a communications hub than a phone museum.“Let’s face it, the name does not do justice for what we offer.It made all the sense in the world in the beginning.We had a lot of phones, but we’re actually a communications museum, which is a huge difference.We have a lot of displays that talk about Morse code, for example, or the postal service or the military service,” she said.The museum was created inside an old home on Main Street with a large addition that was built specifically for the museum.“We’ve now taken up every imaginable corner and crevice of this building to either showcase an artifact or create an exhibit or add a hands-on activity.We’re busting at the seams at this point,” Gifford said.The museum has continued to build on Violette’s vision.Violette began working in the telephone industry in 1946 after serving in the Army during WWII.He eventually rose to the position of president and chief executive officer of Merrimack County Telephone, which later became MCT Telecom.“He ended up, like a lot of people, working there so long that he purchased that independent telephone company.All the while, he would collect or keep different artifacts.His hope was one day to be able to open up a museum, which quite frankly is amazing to have that forethought.He would stash all of his little treasures at his house or in his office,” Gifford said.Violette retired in the mid-1980s and served as chairman of the Board of MCT until it was sold to TDS Telecom in 2002.The museum features an extensive collection that includes 19th-century wall-mounted phones, which represent some of the earliest forms of communication technology; candlestick and Bakelite phones; switchboards; rotary and dial phones; and a dedicated wall with several shelves of fun and quirky phones from a growing novelty collection, which includes everything from Cabbage Patch and dancing Elvis phones to Kermit the Frog and the latest addition — an Incredible Hulk phone that was recently donated.“Everybody loves it.The kids love it.That’s something that’s interesting.When we’re talking about the kids, you would sort of think that kids don’t enjoy this sort of space.On the contrary, they do,” Gifford said, adding that the average visit is approximately three hours.The museum also includes more modern phones, like flip phones, a Blackberry, and smartphones to showcase how rapidly technology has changed.A new exhibit this year features Subcom, a Newington-based company that engineers subsea data transport networks, while another new addition focuses on tattoos.“We can hear people say right now, ‘Well, why does a phone museum have a tattoo exhibit?’ Well, that’s because we’re not a telephone museum per se.We’re communication.Tattoos predate Roman times,” said Gifford, who was hired about 13 years ago to handle the museum’s marketing.Gifford said the diverse range of phones ensures that there’s something for everyone, including children who enjoy an emoji scavenger hunt and educational activities.The experience also includes a phone where you can dial and talk, a soundwave lab, and other exhibits.The museum also has an impressive collection of phones from around the world.According to Gifford, the phones were donated by a woman who fell in love with the museum when she visited and offered up the collection that belonged to her brother, who once worked at Camp David, the presidential retreat located in Maryland.The woman explained that during his time at Camp David, international visitors would arrive with their own phones, which was common practice, but when they left, many didn’t want to bring the phone with them and would leave it behind.The collection grew over the years and has now become a popular exhibit at the museum.After the challenges posed by the pandemic, the museum adapted by taking educational programs into schools and senior living centers around the state.The Traveling Trunks Program features trunks filled with artifacts, books, hands-on activities and lesson plans.Megan Hurley, the museum’s director of education and development, has developed the hands-on lessons that captivate students and seniors alike.“She can bring an entire lesson depending on which lesson trunk that she wants to bring or whatever the teachers are working on.She brings that to the students and they love it.It’s a wonderful thing,” Gifford said.Hurley, a former teacher, had never visited the museum prior to coming on board four years ago to serve as its first educator.She said she’s enjoyed traveling around to schools and senior centers.“Spreading the word about the museum is essentially what I do.I take a little bit of it and hopefully they’ll come back.Our end goal is to get people in the door and see the collection and experience this museum,” she said.When asked what she thinks the museum might look like many years from now, Gifford replied, “I don’t know, we may have little chips that we’re putting on display that have been implanted into us and that is the technology.” The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from May to October and Fridays and Saturdays from November to April.For more information, visit nhtelephonemuseum.org.