Robert Lindell connected his first phone between his parents’ house and barn in the 1950s when he was just ten years old. The telephone industry has changed a lot over the years. Lakedale Communications, however, is not forgetting its past. While the Annandale telephone company has always been known for its eye to the future, they recently opened a museum of nearly 400 telephones at its location on Highway 55, a few miles west of Annandale. About 350 antique phones came from Robert Lindell, and Lakedale has collected the rest over the years. One designer-like phone is named the “Eiffel Tower” after the Paris landmark; it is one of the most noticeable and intriguing phones in the Lakedale collection. Sandy Mackereth Miller, a former Kimball girl, will provide her expertise as our guide through the museum. We will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Feb. 25, at Kimball’s historic city hall and carpool to Annandale. If you prefer to meet us there, that’s fine too; just meet us at the west door of Lakedale. Lakedale Communications is located approximately one mile west of Annandale on Highway 55. A brief meeting will follow our tour, and refreshments will be furnished by Lakedale Communications. If we have snowy or icy roads that evening, please call before venturing out on unsafe roads. Call Mary Johnson at (320) 398-5250 or toll-free at (800) 252-2521.
