Our History

The Prairie Grove Telephone Company is family-owned and operated and has been since its incorporation in 1906. It began in 1888 when Dr. E. G. McCormick strung telephone lines between his medical office and his brother's pharmacy. At first the telephone was a novelty, but soon Dr. McCormick discovered that there was a big demand for telephone service. Later that year, Dr. McCormick, with the help of a Dr. Gladson and Jim McIlroy, established a line that ran from Fayetteville to Prairie Grove. This telephone line was reportedly one of the longest in the state of Arkansas at the time.

In 1906, Dr. McCormick and M. M. Collier began the Prairie Grove Telephone Company and bought a switchboard to handle all the calls. The company has grown steadily ever since, keeping up with the growth of West Washington County.

The first central office was located in a small room on the second floor of a Main Street building where a bundle of telephone wires came in through the wall. In the early 1950's, the office was moved to its present location on Mock Street in Prairie Grove.

James C. Parks, Dr. McCormick's son-in-law, began working first as a switchboard operator, then became general manager and later president of the Prairie Grove Telephone Company. He operated the telephone company until his death in 1958.

The company continued to grow, but during the Depression, the growth began to decline when many customers returned their magneto (crank-style) wall phones. Mr. Parks never disconnected a phone for non-payment, even after the depression years had ended. Phone bills were often paid with eggs, vegetables, and an occasional cow.

During World War II, telephone service remained limited to a few hundred customers, as people concentrated on the important issues of rationing and supporting their families. Yet, after the war, demand for service began to increase. At this time, Jim Parks' twin sons, Barry and Donald, joined the telephone company, installing telephones, digging postholes, and stringing wire. Jim Parks' youngest son, Joe, also worked for the telephone company from 1947 to 1951, when at that time he accepted a position at the Prairie Grove post office.

One of the first major problems the telephone company encountered was an ice storm in January, 1949. After three days of freezing rain, sleet and snow, practically all the pole lines in the company's service area were on the ground, and of the 2,000 telephones in service, only about 85 were still working when the storm was over. There were only three employees who worked outside the plant. The telephone company began hiring anyone they could find. Customers also helped by working for nothing and some even made an advance payment on their bills to finance repairs. It took six weeks to bring everything back to working order.

In the late 1960s, plans were made to upgrade all multiple-party lines to single-line service. This project was completed in 1977, marking Prairie Grove as the first telephone company in the state to provide all private lines to its customers in a multi-exchange company.

In 1979, the Prairie Grove Telephone Company converted its central office switch to the Northern Telecom DMS-10 digital equipment. This allowed customers the convenience of touch-tone and benefits of call-waiting, call-forwarding, three-way, etc.

Beginning in 1958, Barry Parks served as President of the Company, and Donald Parks served as Secretary and General Manager. Donald Parks' son David began working for the company in 1980. He is now President and General Manager.

QUICK LINKS

Our History