The History of Chicago / Evanston Telephone Exchanges Including Their Two-Letter Codes and Meanings.

Contrary to popular belief, there were no central office prefixes in the beginning. To place a call on June 26, 1878, when the Bell-licensed Chicago Telephonic Exchange first opened, the subscriber merely told the operator the name and address of the party desired.

Telephone switchboard operator, Washington Island, Wisconsin, 1915.

For purposes of identification, the original telephone switchboard at 125 LaSalle St. was known as the Central office. Two more offices soon opened and were called the Halsted Street branch and the Canal Street branch.

By 1883, these three central offices had grown to 11, and around that time the Bell System-affiliated Chicago Telephone Company (formed in 1881) began to refer to most of them by number. Thus, the switchboard at 125 LaSalle St. became known as the № 2 office. By then, too, subscribers were requested to call by number rather than by name.

Chicago telephone switchboard in the 1880s. (photo via Illinois Bell)

The initial digit of the phone number generally indicated the telephone central office; that is, the subscriber who had “3123” as the call number was served from № 3 office at Chicago Ave. and Clark St. The three offices lying just outside the city limits had no numerical designation and were known as Stock Yards, Oakland and Ravenswood. In 1889, Stock Yards was changed to Yards and Ravenswood to Lake View. In that same year, telephone growth brought about the first use of 5-digit numbers, the Oakland series running from 9800 to 10,999 and the Lake View series from 12,001 to 12,499. This first call number system was inflexible, however, because it allowed little latitude for growth.

By 1892, on the eve of the opening of the World’s Columbian Exposition, it became apparent that the city was rapidly outgrowing the old numbering scheme, and in that year the change to a system of combined prefix and number was made. Beginning February 15, a subscriber served from № 3 office had his/her number change from “3123” to “North 123.”  The entire list of changes:

Old Designation                   Serving #s                          Changed to

№ 2 office                             1 to 2999                             Main 1 to Main 2999

№ 3                                        3001 to 3999                       North 1 to North 999

№ 4 & 5                                 4000 to 5399                        Main 4000 to Main 5399

№ 7                                        7001 to 7999                       West 1 to West 999

№ 8                                        8001 to 8999                       South 1 to South 999

№ 9                                        9001 to 9499                       Canal 1 to Canal 499

Yards                                     9500 to 9799                       Yards 500 to Yards 799

Oakland                                 9800 to 10,999                    Oakland 800 to Oakland 999

Lake View                             12,001 to 12,499                  Lake View 1 to Lake View 499

Telephone numbers, therefore, started using the central office name as the prefix. This second system remained in effect for nearly 30 years.

Early switchboard operator, 1880s.

In June 1921, Illinois Bell Telephone Company (formed in December 1920 from the merger of Chicago Telephone Company and the Illinois properties of Central Union Telephone Company) adopted the citywide 3-letter 4-number plan, effective with the delivery of the October telephone directory. At that time, all phone numbers with less than four digits were changed to add zeros ahead of the number to make four numerals in all cases (for example, “NORth 0029”).

Certain names, such as “Monticello,” were replaced because their numerical equivalents, in this case, “666,” conflicted with other existing offices, like “Monroe.” As a result, “Monticello” became “Juniper.” This change was necessary for the launch of automatic dial service, first introduced in Chicago with the cutover of “CENtral” prefix (in the Franklin Building at 315 W. Washington St.) on June 9, 1923.

The fourth alteration in Chicago’s calling plan was the conversion to 2 letters and 5 numbers across the city on September 18, 1948 (for instance, “CEntral 6-1234”). As with the implementation of central office prefixes in 1892, the change to the 2-letter 5-number plan was necessary to provide additional telephone numbers required by the enormous demand for phone service after World War II.

The following is the complete list of Chicago and Evanston central office exchange names and their corresponding prefixes, adopted in 1948.

Rotary Dial

Two 17-year-old teenagers were baffled by a rotary phone. A must-watch video.

Telephone operators, 1950s.

This system allowed for additional prefix equivalents without the invention of new exchange names.

ABerdeen........... AB 4

ALbany............. AL 2

AMbassador......... AM 2

ANdover............ AN 3

ARdmore............ AR 1

ARmitage........... AR 6

ATlantic........... AT 5

AUstin............. AU 7

AVenue............. AV 2,3&6

BAyport............ BA 1

BElmont............ BE 5

BErkshire.......... BE 7

BEverly............ BE 3&8

BIshop............. BI 2&7

BIttersweet........ BI 8

BOulevard.......... BO 8

BRiargate.......... BR 4
BRoadway........... BR 3,4&5

BRunswick.......... BR 8

BUckingham......... BU 1

BUtterfield........ BU 8

CAlumet............ CA 5

CAnal.............. CA 6

CApitol............ CA 7

CAthedraL.......... CA 8

CEdarcrest......... CE 3

CEntral............ CE 6

CHesapeake......... CH 3

CLiffside.......... CL 4

COlumbus........... CO 1

COmmodore.......... CO 4

COrnelia........... CO 7

CRawford........... CR 7

DAnube............. DA 6

DAvis.............. DA 8

DEarborn........... DE 2

DElaware........... DE 7

DIckens............ DI 2

DIversey........... DI 8

DOrchester......... DO 3

DRexel............. DR 3

EAstgate........... EA 7

EDgewater.......... ED 4

ELmdrive........... EL 6

ENglewood.......... EN 4

ESsex.............. ES 5

EStebrook.......... ES 8&9

EVerglade.......... EV 4

FAirfax............ FA 4

FInancial.......... FI 6

FIre............... FI 7

FRanklin........... FR 2

FRontier........... FR 4&6
FUlton............. FU 5

GArden............. GA 4
GLadstone.......... GL 5

GRaceland.......... GR 2&7

GReenleaf.......... GR 5

GRovehill.......... GR 6

HArrison........... HA 7

HAymarket.......... HA 1

HEmlock............ HE 4&6

HIlltop............ HI 5

HOllycourt......... HO 5

HUdson............. HU 3,7&8

HUmboldt........... HU 6&9

HYde Park.......... HY 3

INdependence....... IN 3

INterocean......... IN 8

IRving............. IR 8

JUniper............ JU 3&8

KEdzie............. KE 3

KEnwood............ KE 6&8

KEystone........... KE 3&9

KIldare............ KI 5

LAfayette.......... LA 1,2&3

LAkeview........... LA 5&8

LAwndale........... LA 1&2

LIncoln............ LI 9

LIvingston......... LI 8

LOngbeach.......... LO 1
LUdlow............. LU 2&5

MAnsfield.......... MA 6

MErrimac........... ME 7

MIchigan........... MI 2

MIdway............. MI 3
MItchell........... MI 6

MOhawk............. MO 4

MOnroe............. MO 6

MUlberry........... MU 5

MUseum............. MU 4

NAtional........... NA 2&5

NEvada............. NE 2&8

NEwcastle.......... NE 1

NOrmal............. NO 7

OAkland............ OA 4

OFficial........... OF 3
ORchard............ OR 3&6

PAlisade........... PA 5

PEnsacola.......... PE 6

PLaza.............. PL 2

POlice............. PO 5

POrtsmouth......... PO 7
PRescott........... PR 9

PRospect........... PR 6&8

PUllman............ PU 5

RAdcliffe.......... RA 3

RAndolph........... RA 6&7

RAvenswood......... RA 8

REgent............. RE 1&4

REliance........... RE 5

REpublic........... RE 7

ROckwell........... RO 2

ROdney............. RO 3

ROgers Park........ RO 1&4

SAcramento......... SA 2

SAginaw............ SA 1

SEeley............. SE 3&8

SHeldrake.......... SH 3

SOuth Chicago...... SO 8

SOuth Shore........ SO 8

SPaulding.......... SP 2

SPring............. SP 4,5&7

STate.............. ST 1&2

STewart............ ST 3

SUnnyside.......... SU 4

SUperior........... SU 7

TAylor............. TA 9

TRiangle........... TR 3&4

TUxedo............. TU 9

UNderhill.......... UN 7
UNiversity......... UN 4,6&9

UPtown............. UP 8

VAn Buren.......... VA 6

VIctory............ VI 2

VIncennes.......... VI 6

VIrginia........... VI 7

WAbash............. WA 2

WAgner............. WA 4

WAlbrook........... WA 5

WAterfall.......... WA 8

WEather............ WE 4

WEbster............ WE 9

WEllington......... WE 5

WEntworth.......... WE 6

WHitehall.......... WH 3&4

YArds.............. YA 7

The fifth and final telephone number scheme began with the conversion to All Number Calling (ANC) on September 11, 1960.  Despite some early opposition from individuals and businesses who wanted to retain their beloved exchange prefixes, this evolutionary process was finally completed in 1977.

At that point, the Chicago alphabetical directory (White Pages) showed all local numbers in the city to be in the now-familiar 7-digit format still in use today (such as “236-1234”).

Exchange names continued appearing in some Chicago Yellow Pages and advertisements into the 1980s.

In the original North American Numbering Plan of 1947, all of the Chicago area was covered by area code 312, the rest of northern Illinois was 815, central Illinois was 217, and southern Illinois was 618.

Reasons why people tend to remember their first telephone number, no matter how old they are.

Safety and Security: Parents, teachers, and community safety programs emphasize the importance of children memorizing their home telephone numbers at a young age. This was done as a safety measure so that children can contact their parents or guardians in case of an emergency or if they get lost. This early and frequent repetition can make the number stick in a person’s memory, possibly forever.

Repetition and Usage: The first telephone number that one learns is often used repeatedly over a long period of time. This frequent repetition can engrain the number in one’s memory.

Significance: The first telephone number is often associated with one’s childhood home or a significant period in one’s life, which can make the number more memorable.

Necessity: In the past, before the advent of smartphones and digital contact lists, people had to memorize or write down important phone numbers. This necessity could have contributed to the long-term retention of these numbers.

However, the need to memorize phone numbers has significantly decreased with the advent of smartphones and digital contact lists. Many people today do not remember phone numbers because they rely on their devices to store and dial them.

ADDITIONAL READING: The Chicago Telegraph arrived in 1848. It becomes the eastern terminus of “Western” communication.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Belleville, Illinois' Brewery History.

Belleville has been known for many industries: stove factories, mills, brick making, carriage manufacturing, coal mining, and breweries. Belleville has had a long history of brewing beer. With the large number of German immigrants who settled in the Belleville area came their cultural tradition of brewing.

Western Brewery (Later Stag Beer Brewery) East D Street and North 12th street, Belleville, Illinois.

In 1832 Jacob Fleischbein founded the first beer brewery in Illinois. It was built near Belleville's town square. In 1837 Abram Anderson started the second brewery in Belleville. It stood a block south of the present town square on West Washington Street. By 1860 Belleville had seven breweries not including the Fleischbein Brewery, which had closed by 1860. The other breweries were Simon Eimer's Washington Brewery on South Street between Harrison and Lincoln streets, Fidel Stoelzle's on the corner of Main and North Third streets, the Herberer Brothers City Park Brewery on the northeast corner of North Second and West A streets, John Klug's Illinois Brewery on the opposite corner of North Second and West A, Priester and Villinger's Southern, in the fourth block of South Charles Street, and Phillip Neu and Peter Gintz's Brewery in West Belleville.

During the 1880s Simon Eimer's Washington Brewery was the largest brewery in Belleville and reputed to be the largest west of the Allegheny Mountains. It had an output of eight thousand barrels annually. Some of the beer was shipped as far away as New Orleans. The brewery was constructed between 1846 and 1847. It occupied a half block and had beer cellars two stories deep. Beer cellars were used to keep beer cold, as refrigeration was not yet available.

Fidel Stoelzle built his brewery in 1853. He had to pump water from a spring two blocks away with a twelve-horse-power engine. In those days it was necessary that breweries be built close to a fresh water supply. By the 1880s, his company produced about fifteen thousand barrels annually. He employed twelve men at the height of production.

In 1851, when the Neu and Gintz Brewery began operating, it only produced about two thousand barrels for sale in Belleville and East St. Louis. In 1873 the brewery was purchased by an incorporated company, the stock of which was owned by four men: John Kloess, William Branderburger, Adam Gintz, and Valentine Steg. After several building additions, the brewery was producing about twenty thousand barrels a year. The beer was distributed throughout southern Illinois. Later known as Western Brewery, it passed through several different owners until 1912 when Henry Louis Griesedieck bought it. Griesedieck was a member of a famous brewery family. He began brewing beer from an old German recipe that he later called Stag Beer. Production grew to eighty thousand barrels annually, but in 1919 Prohibition halted the brewing of Stag.

Western Brewery (Later Stag Beer Brewery) East D Street and North 12th street, Belleville, Illinois.

Neuhoff and Bressler built their brewery near Richland Creek on the outskirts of Belleville. At great expense they built a dam on the creek, and they based their claim for the beer's superior quality on the creek's water. They also established a bottling factory on Main Street. Bressler eventually sold his shares, and the ownership of the brewery passed through many hands until Bernhard Hartmann became sole owner in 1882. He changed the brewery's name to Star Brewery to avoid confusion with previous names. It became the Star Brewery because the symbol on the label was a star. At the time, the brewery produced about twenty-five-thousand barrels of beer and shipped it throughout St. Clair County, southern Illinois, St. Louis, and other points.

Those early breweries were very important to Belleville and the surrounding region. Not only did they employ a substantial number of workers, but so did glass and bottling factories located in the town. The local farmers sold their barley, malt, and hops to the breweries. The money earned by these brewers and farmers went back into the community and helped other local businesses.

It was not long after the arrival of the German immigrants that they began to establish beer gardens. Beer gardens were important gathering spots. Simon Eimer built Eimer's Hill, a park, next to his brewery. Dances were held there every Sunday evening. Klug's brewery had a summer garden that was used for dances and a theater. The Herberer Brothers Brewery had its beer cellars beneath a large apple orchard. The orchard was used for a park and picnics. The Star Brewery was set in a wooded dell next to a beautiful lake where families gathered on weekends to listen to the German band, play games, and drink Star Beer at their picnics.

Those breweries, especially Star and the Griesedieck Western, were important because of their relationships with the town. The officers and members of the boards of directors of the breweries were in a good position to maintain close contact with their fellow citizens, to take part in social and civic life, to keep an eye on unfavorable conditions, and to see that law enforcement was effectively administered. Those men and women often held important positions in the community to fulfill those needs. The breweries were large enough to influence power and control but small enough to work with the public.

The brewery business throughout the United States came to an end with Prohibition. Men were laid off, and farmers lost money. Eventually, Prohibition was repealed during the Great Depression. Once more farmers could sell their crops for a profit. Bringing breweries back into business helped reduce the stress of the Depression. Jobs were created, and the need for farm crops increased. After the repeal, two Belleville breweries reopened.

In 1935 H. W. Hartmann, son of Bernhard Hartmann, reopened the Star Brewery, creating one hundred jobs and bringing thousands of dollars back into the economy of Belleville. The need for crops helped the farmers of the Belleville area.

Early in 1933 the Griesedieck Western Brewery once again produced and sold beer. That first year the company brewed nearly seventy-three thousand barrels, and that number increased annually, especially after 1948. It was in that year that the St. Louis plant facilities opened, increasing both production and sales. By 1954 it was the thirteenth largest brewery in the United States. Employees at the Belleville plant demonstrated their loyalty in a series of events originating in 1954 called "Brag about Belleville and Stag."

Unfortunately, in the late 1950s the Star-Peerless Brewery closed. Just a few years later, the Griesedieck Western Brewery transferred ownership to the Carling Brewing Company of Cleveland, Ohio, which had bought the Stag Brewery for $10 million. Carling Brewery owned several plants across the country and produced a number of different brands of beer. Stag Beer continued to be produced in Belleville. The St. Louis plant was changed to produce other Carling labels for sale in the area.

In 1979 G. Heileman Brewery of Wisconsin bought Carling Company making Heileman Brewery the fourth largest brewery in America.

Eight years later, the Australian brewing giant Bond Corporation Holdings Ltd. merged with Heileman to become the fourth largest brewery in the world.

The Stag Brewery in Belleville operated under the Bond/Heilman ownership until August 1988 when it was closed down. It was decided that the Belleville plant could not compete. To remain open, the brewery's facilities needed to be modernized with a sewage pre-treatment plant that would cost $2.9 million. Because the company did not believe it could build the sewage treatment plant at that cost, it closed the plant. Two hundred thirty people were put out of work. At the time of its closing the Stag Brewery was the last beer brewery in Illinois. The next year the United States Environmental Protection Agency sued Heilman for polluting Belleville's sewage system for the previous nine years.

The closing of the Stag Brewery sadly ended a 130-year tradition of breweries in Belleville. During their existence, several breweries had helped both Belleville and the surrounding region to grow economically, and they provided a social gathering place, especially for the early German immigrants.

By Lucy Wilson
Edited by Neil Gale, Ph.D.