howdy and welcome to the Texas bucket
list the show that celebrates everything
there is to experience right here in the
Lone Star State
you know the telecommunications industry
is definitely 10 folded in Texas over
the years nowadays just about everyone
in fact everyone has got a cell phone
they're either talking or texting on but
we found a man who is really into his
old school telephone tech so we headed
out to his little Museum out in the
middle of McGregor a long a residential
road in the rural community of McGregor
sits the home of most Bradley now
there's not much that makes Mo's home
really stand out except for a sign that
looks somewhat out of place but if you
decide to pull over and pick up the call
to come here you'll get child in into
some digit history
mrs. Bradley the number of phones in
Mo's massive collection will make you
want to put your travels on hold while
you browse the big foxes and really old
ringers I like to go back to the basics
for 71 years I'm always called MacGregor
ho the third generation of Spratlys to
be settled here like his father before
him mo worked for the phone company not
good at nothing but I can fix most
nearly anything his 30 years of service
is 10 years and one day less than his
father
Edie worked for the baby bells but as
the dial went to digital mol figured it
was time to hang it up you don't see you
want to stay around for picture phones
nice let me tell you something I have a
hard enough time making Santa do it on
the telephone I sure think make it look
good
that left mo more time to take care of
his phone collection a project that
started with a family friend and fellow
phone fixer named Frank Ross do
donated his equipment to the Spratlys so
they could start a museum he thought
that this stuff are we putting a museum
and a place to show no one day is gonna
be obsolete and he was absolutely right
now the collection did come with one
stipulation you personally yourself
cannot sell it give it away and your
laughter mo agree and since 1978 the
phones have silently told their story
takes him back I don't think boys just
don't ask modem pickup I mean pick out
his favorite but telling stories to the
generation that has never known what
it's like to have a hard wired line is
his love but some of them can ask some
pretty serious question was the dock
boys the push button you couldn't walk
away I said you could walk as far as
that card was wrong and that we in the
hunt
you know a few of these phones date back
to the 1800s and some have unique first
of their kind capabilities some
telephone man just started this only
okay but when your phone rings you put
this right here if you left the house
let someone come back and while you
don't it rang you can watch it thing
followed like that one
so you've come in look already without
the ID part yep just pick it up and call
it operator so who called me like say if
anybody knew in 10 what was going on see
this ever wonder how people paid over
the phone prior to touch-tone a lot of
people ask me that
operator know what you put right money
in there well she can hear from that
tone she'd take deposit 40 cents you
know he you can hear the difference
there for town on that one mm-hmm and
you put in the nickel and then I like
the dime
yeah that's amazing
never has the sound of a ringing phone
been music - a man's ears that's until
we bet most friendly if you call me I'll
get back around to calling you as long
as he can pick up he'll continue to tell
the story of the simple phone just to
get through to those who have never had
to ask for the operator just don't ask
him to send you a text these new cell
phones they talking about some of them
what $800 something else baby our slave
of my dollar - 98
[Music]