Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

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PIONEER HISTORY OF INGIIAM COUNTY

MASON'S FIRST TELEPHONE.
In 1918 J. C. Squiers and C. G. Huntington told the following
story of Mason's first telephone. In the spring of 1878 these men
read of a telephone that had been installed in an eastern city, and
they immediately began to set their wits to work to see what
could be done in that line here, and they were very well satisfied
with the result of their labor. The "plant" consisted of two cigar
boxes, a hog's bladder and quantities of waxed ends.
The boxes were put in place of a window pane, the bladder skin
stretched over openings made in the boxes, and their houses,
about fifteen rods apart, connected by the waxed threads. This
was an outfit simple and crude, but it served its purpose, for they
could talk in an ordinary tone of voice and be heard over the line
from one house to the other, and could even hear the singing of
the teakettle over the line. This continued in use for several
months, and never ceased to be a curiosity to everyone in the city,
but one day a load of hay with a high pole passed under the line
and broke it. As the novelty of the instrument had begun to
wear off the owners did not repair the line, and the first telephone
in Mason ceased to exist. As the first telephone in the country is
said to have been installed some time in 1876, the idea was not
an old one when Messrs. Squiers and IIulitington utilized it.
EARLY LIFE IN MASON.
By MRS. MARY MILLER STILLMAN.
Mason, Sept. 23, 1913.
Mrs. Mary Miller Stilllan, of this city, wlho will be 81 years
old on September 25, tells something of her carly life in a paper
which she read before the Inglhaln Counllty Pioneer Association
in this city sonic years ago. She says:
"I came with my father, A. R. Miller, better known as Deacon
Miller, from Pittsfield, Lorain county, Ohio, to Ingham county,
Mich., in October, 1844, being then twelve years of age. My
father's family consisted of my father and mother, seven daugh