Michigan Bell Telephone Company

Michigan Bell was one of the 22 Local Exchange Carriers that were part of the AT&T Bell System until the 1984 divestiture, after which Michigan Bell and four other Midwestern telephone companies became part of Ameritech, the midwestern Regional Holding Company. Ameritech was one of the 7 original Bell Regional Holding Companies, or "Baby Bells." By the early 90's Ameritech phased out state specific names such as Michigan Bell in favor of using the Ameritech name for marketing purposes, however the actual names of the companies remain unchanged. After Ameritech's acquisition by SBC Communications, the former Ameritech companies were briefly marketed as SBC Ameritech, as transition to a unified "SBC" brand name in all 13 states in which SBC then did business. No sooner had this been accomplished then, in 2005, SBC Communications acquired AT&T. Judging the venerable and internationally recognized AT&T name to be a greater asset than the less established SBC name, the newly merged company began marketing itself throughout the United States as the "new" AT&T.

Despite all of its name changes, Michigan Bell has been in continuous existence since 1904, and is still the legal entity that provides telephone service throughout most of Michigan. As of 2006, it had approximately 8900 employees. It is headquartered in Detroit.


Certificate: Registered Bond, issued in the 1970’s

Printer: Federated Bank Note Company

Dimensions: 8” (h) x 12” (w)

State: MI-Michigan

Subject Matter: Telephone and Telegraph Companies

Vignette Topic(s): Female Subject | Telephone Featured

Condition: Vertical fold lines, punch hole and stamp cancels in signature areas and body, and some toning and edge faults from age.