Beautiful early telephone certificate #3 from the Iowa Union Telephone Company issued in 1887. This historic document has an ornate border around it with a vignette of the company name strung out on telephone wires with telephone poles at both ends and the state's coat of arms in the center of the company name. This item has the signatures of the Company's President, James Thompson and Secretary, A. F. Cutter and is over 122 years old.
Certificate Vignette In 1883 the Iowa Telegraph & Telephone Companv was organized. This company purchased the Hawkeye. Burlington, Clinton, Red Oak, Creston and other telephone companies. In 1886 the Iowa Union Telephone Company was organized and took over the property of the Iowa Union Telephone & Telegraph Company, also the Iowa & Minnesota Telephone Company. In 1896 the Iowa Telephone Company came into existence and took over the properties of the Iowa Union Telephone Company and the Western Telephone Company, which at that time was owned by and known as the Central Union Telephone ompany. This gave the new company all the Bell properties in the state except that in Pottawattamie County, which was and is owned by the Nebraska Telephone Company.