A prized possession of the Museum, the Zietlow Telephone Switchboard was developed by Aberdeen resident J. L. W. Zietlow in the 1880s. Zietlow organized the Dakota Central Telephone Company, and continually put Aberdeen on the cutting edge of telephone technology. In 1905, Aberdeen had automatic dial telephone service, a luxury accosted to only one other city in the nation. Telephone lines in Aberdeen were buried in 1909, which was a first for the entire U.S. At one time, Aberdeen was said to have “led the world” in terms of phones per person.