Subscriber Comments for
Vintage Matchbooks

Most recent Comments first | (reverse order)

COMMENT 320717	2012-09-16 10:23 AM
To commenter #135, seriously you do? So sorry for my delay posting back, but I was super busy first of Sept.
REXOFSB	2012-09-03 08:37 AM
Mielemai: I think it was WOodland just because there aren't all that many words you can make with the letters WXY followed by MNO. I dunno if General Telephone ever considered WOmbat, XOchimilcho or YOohoo, but I'd guess not. The WOodland prefix became confusing when a long-distance call was placed to Santa Barara via the operator, as (1) direct-dialing and area codes were still a few years away, and (2) there is a town called Woodland near Sacramento. You'd be in Fresno or Albuquerque or somewhere and you'd dial 110 for the long-distance operator. The ensuing convo might go something like this:. "I'd like to call Santa Barbara, WOodland 6-6555." "Is that Santa Barbara, California, or Woodland, California?" "Santa Barbara, but it's a WOodland number." "Woodland and Santa Barbara are in different parts of California." "Yes, I know. But Santa Barbara phone numbers START with WOodland." This happened all the time, according to friends and relatives who would call us from out-of-town. While I'm on a roll here, Lompoc's "73" prefix was called REgent, which could ALSO stand for "PEnnsylvania" if you thought about it; hence, "PEnnsylvania 6-5000" could be (or maybe is) a real Lompoc phone number. This reference is only for those of you who are old enough to remember Glenn Miller.
MIELEMAI	2012-09-03 08:04 AM
Here's another question for you, Rex (or anyone reading): Why was Woodland added as a prefix to the numbers? What was the significance of the name?
MIELEMAI	2012-09-03 08:01 AM
Rex: The phone history is fantastic! 306: I Googled Julian Ritter and -- wow -- I wonder what the story is on why his paintings were displayed at Torky's? This is exactly the kind of SB history I was hoping my post would stir up!
REXOFSB	2012-09-02 05:00 PM
@326: You had to pay extra to keep your old 96 number only if you lived in certain parts of town that were "redistricted" by General Telephone. The first non-96 prefix was 687, followed shortly by 682. You used to be able to tell what part of town people lived in by their phone number. 962, 963, 965, 966 -- most of downtown SB and surrounding neighborhoods. 964 -- North SB and Noleta. 967 -- Goleta. 968 -- North Goleta/Ellwood. 969 -- Montecito and Summerland. 684 -- Carp. 688 -- Santa Ynez Valley. The last 96 prefix--961--was initially assigned exclusively to UCSB, but I think it's now in the general Goleta-area distribution.
COMMENT 315326	2012-09-02 04:23 PM
I am on the Mesa, and still have the same phone number from 1965, it has a 965 prefix. Never had to pay extra for it. I also remember the WOodland prefix. Geez, I feel old. :-]
COMMENT 315306	2012-09-02 03:27 PM
What about party lines? We still had those back in the early '60s. Imagine anyone sharing their phone line now? "Torky's" I KNEW that rang a bell. It was a bar. I am a teetotaler, but remember going into Torky's to have a look at Julian Ritter's oil paintings. It was a bizarre place to see his gorgeous nudes and clowns, each painting then worth $1,000s. Thanks for bringing back that memory. As a side note: when GTE changed a lot of our phone prefixes from 962 to 569 (and such), in the '80s, we asked if we could keep our original 962, since we'd had it for 30? years. GTE said "Not a problem. You can pay $50 more each month, and keep your number." Gee. Thanks.
REXOFSB	2012-09-02 11:20 AM
Mielemai: Flicka is right about the WOodland (96) prefix added to SB phones in the '50s. There were also some four-digit phone numbers in those days, and to bring them into the modern age, the number 6 was added to them at about the same time, making them five-digit numbers. For instance, the News-Press number, which had been 3911 for decades, became 6-3911. The WOodland (96) prefix was then added, but for some reason you didn't have to dial 96 until the early '60s, as I recall. The downtown library has had basically the same phone number seemingly forever--(96)2-7653. For years, SB City College was 5-0581 and the Auto Club at Santa Barbara & Victoria Streets was 5-0591. Back in the day, you dialed 113 for Information and 110 for Long Distance. Fun Fact--The local number you called to get the time was 6-0611. Coincidentally, the ZIP code for Time Magazine was--60611. Fun Fact #2: Whether it was by design or coincidence I don't know, but around the time the 96 prefix was introduced, there was a guy in town whose name was William Hayes. His phone number was 964-2937--which spelled "WMHAYES."
MIELEMAI	2012-09-02 09:43 AM
Thanks for the info, Flicka! I'm the OP, and a Santa Barbara history geek -- I can't get enough of it! I particularly love old phone numbers before they had prefixes, too. I should have done some more sleuthing before I posted, and since then I've done some Google map research: Looks like Gatsby's was between the Palace Cafe (8 East Cota) and a Tropical Affair (12 East Cota). La Tourelle is the big pink Victorian on the corner of Chapala and Haley. (Oh, wait, the big pink Victorian is now beige...!) Leon's is now where Joe's Cafe is. Torky's is now where Midway Appliance Parts (Next to Cajun Kitchen).
FLICKA	2012-09-02 09:25 AM
You can an idea of the era of a couple places by the ph.#s; Woodland was added to our #s in the early 50s, later just changed to putting 96. Leons had no prefex so the book was perhaps from the 40s, at least before Woodland; it was a good resturant. Fun to see these!
RONNIEB	2012-09-02 08:43 AM
A few years ago I found a matchbook from the Laundromat my parents opened at 3040 State St. around 1948. I also found a radio tube from the radio store my grandfather had in the 20's and 30's on State Street where the Paseo Nuevo is now. He closed it in 1940. All on eBay. Seek and you too might find cool stuff!
COMMENT 315135	2012-09-02 08:42 AM
I'd like to see the vintage matchbooks :)
COMMENT 320717	2012-09-02 07:53 AM
I love my vintage matchbook collection! My dad traveled around the country in the 70's and 80's and my gift from him every weekly return was a handful of matchbooks. I have several different Playboy Club, a United States Presidential Air Force One, various New York steakhouses and inns, Puerto Rico restaurants and hotels, and fun Las Vegas Casino hotels. I've always thought to display them, but instead kept them stored away safely. Maybe if there are any comments, I will post some pics!
PURPLERIDER	2012-09-01 09:50 PM
Love the spartan features, the no muss no fuss attitude of the designs.

64% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

EDHAT COMMENTS POLICY