CITIZENS TELEPHONE CORPORATION

The first telephone lines in Warren were built by William R. Lowe in 1898. The first phone service consisted of a pay station on a street corner in the business district. It was the only phone around, and all the town's people had to use it to make telephone calls

WARREN TELEPHONE COMPANY

In 1904, the Warren Telephone Company began business by purchasing these lines. The local citizens began the telephone exchange in a rural market where the larger companies of that day felt it unprofitable to serve. This was a diversified group which included doctors, a drug store owner, and the owner of the local hardware store.

The early history of the Warren Telephone Company was one of continual construction and investing. Profits were not forthcoming for several years. The Warren plant was almost completely rebuilt in 1913, and a new switch board was installed. In 1937, the entire urban distribution plant was again rebuilt along with most of the rural lines. The magneto system of calling was converted to common battery in 1946.

CITIZENS TELEPHONE CORP.

The Warren Telephone Company name was changed to the Citizens Telephone Corp. in 1947 after acquisition of the Liberty Center exchange. The corporation has always had dedicated employees who were willing to work long hours (often without pay) to keep the company going. Those employees maintained service in spite of snow, storms, sleet, and tornadoes. Excellent service was top priority.

Of particular note is a longtime employee, Ella Blair, who was given special recognition in 1970 for more than 50 years of service as an operator. Mrs. Blair, who began working with the old Warren Telephone Company in 1918, recalled servicemen calling home during the World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict and even from Vietnam. When Dial phones came to town in 1974, Mrs. Blair was forced to retire at the age of 91 after more than a half century of telephone service with the company (1918-1973). Mrs. Blair passed away in June 1976. In 1976, the corporation served 1,415 subscribers with a total of 1,898 telephones utilizing an A-1 Crossbar system. As the telephone industry experienced vast technological advancements, Citizens Telephone Corp. has kept pace. In March of 1995, the corporation cut to a new Northern Telecom DMS 10 digital switch which gave the corporation the capability to offer new services, including Equal Access, Signaling System 7 (SS7), and 800 number portability. In July 1985, Citizens Telephone Corp., with its goals to meet the subscribers telecommunications needs, created Warren Cable Company. Cable television was deployed to homes throughtout the area.

LIBERTY CENTER TELEPHONE COMPANY

In January of 1947, the Citizens Telephone Corporation purchased the Liberty Center Operation, seven miles from Warren. The Liberty Center Telephone Company name stayed the same. While they operated as separate companies, it became a subsidiary of the Citizens Telephone Corporation of Warren. The clerical work for both was done at the corporation office in Warren.

For more than 40 years, the administration of the Liberty Center Telephone Company has been at the business office of the Citizens Telephone Corporation in Warren, Indiana.

On November 22, 1989, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved the merger of the Liberty Center Telephone Company into the Citizens Telephone Corporation, effective January 1,1990. The Citizens Telephone Corporation now serves over 2,000 access lines from its exchanges in Liberty Center and Warren.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Citizens Telephone Corporation offers a complete line of state of the art telecommunications products to our customers. If you have any questions on these services please contact the business office at (260)-375-2111.