Michael Bushnell
Northeast News

Kansas City was serviced by two telephone companies when the North American Postcard Publishing Company printed this Real Photo postcard in 1909.

In November 1901, The Home Telephone Company acquired a 30-year franchise awarded to John Enoch by the City Council to provide telephone service to the City of Kansas City. 

Under this agreement, Home Telephone agreed to pay two percent of its gross, furnish 30 telephones to City Hall, and agreed to a limited subscription rate of $36 per year for each residence and $60 per year for each business it served. 

According to public records, during its inaugural year of service, Home Telephone grossed $766,945, which would be worth $23,186,461 today. 
Originally, Enoch’s company was called the People’s Telephone Company, with offices (shown here) at 1018 Baltimore Avenue and a switching office at 3010 Peery Avenue, which still stands today.

Advertisements in newspapers and other printed materials often list two telephone exchanges in their copy— Home and Bell telephone company numbers. 

In 1919, Home Telephone merged with the Alexander Bell network, forming the Kansas City Telephone Company.

This postcard was mailed on Oct. 20, 1910, to Mrs. Ben Ball of 10654 Fulton Ave., Pullman, Illinois.