New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The Payphone
One day while driving my daughter asked me about what things were like when I was a kid. During the discussion I told her about the phone booth and payphones. I mentioned that if your car broke down, you would have to walk about and find a payphone, then pay 10 cents or make a “collect call.” She genuinely thought I was pulling her leg. “Why would you do that instead of use your cell phone?” she asked. Every once in a while, I will come across a payphone stall (not a full fledged booth with the collapsing door) and will point it out so she can see that it’s not a practical joke. Even funnier is when I brought out an old phone from the attic, complete with spiral cord all tangled up. “Why would you need a chord on a phone?”
I remember a local call costing 10 cents, then eventually going up to a quarter before becoming obsolete. Does anyone remember it costing less than a dime?
