Viaduct Manufacturing Co. No. 14 Potbelly Desk Set
Viaduct ManufacturingViaduct ManufacturingFounded in 1883 in Elkridge, Maryland, taking over the business of Davis & Watts, a Baltimore telegraph and electrical instrument maker active since at least 1875. The company name came from a brick viaduct built next to their plant to carry the B&O Railroad tracks — almost certainly the landmark Thomas Viaduct spanning the Patapsco River. Advertising that they made "everything electrical," Viaduct specialized in telephones, magneto bells, and telegraph equipment. Their paddle-style wall telephones of the 1890s used an ingenious arm mechanism designed to circumvent Bell's switchhook patents. · Circa: 1901
About This Phone
Viaduct Manufacturing Company of Baltimore, Maryland, was founded in 1883 when it took over and continued the business of Davis & Watts, an Electrical Goods manufacturer. Viaduct made "Everything Electrical, but its specialties were Telephones, Magneto Bells, District Messenger Call Boxes, Student's Telegraph Outfits, Electric Lights and American District Supplies of all kinds." The manufacturing plant sat very near the relay station of the B & O Railroad. The Railroad had built a brick viaduct over a deep ravine to support the railroad tracks and that's how the Viaduct Manufacturing Company got its name. This potbelly is in outstanding original condition even though it has lost some of its original nickel plating. It even has its original coil and wiring inside the base.
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