Government Cable Office


Government Cable Office
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


Location	218 6th Ave., Seward, Alaska
Coordinates	60°6′15″N 149°26′8″W / 60.10417°N 149.43556°W / 60.10417; -149.43556Coordinates: 60°6′15″N 149°26′8″W / 60.10417°N 149.43556°W / 60.10417; -149.43556
Area	less than one acre
Built	1905
Architect	US Army Signal Corps
NRHP Reference #	80004574^[1]
Added to NRHP	January 04, 1980

The Government Cable Office at 218 Sixth Street in Seward, Alaska, United States, is a historic building that served as a telegraph office that connected Seward with communications in the rest of the United States.

The cable office was constructed in 1905 by the U.S. Army Signal Corps as part of the Washington–Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS). Telegraph service from the lower states first connected to Valdez, Alaska. In summer 1905, submarine cable was extended from Valdez to Seward.^[2]

The first message over the line was to A. C. Frost, president of the Alaska Central Railway, who was in Chicago: "This first message transmitted over Alaska Cable connects Seward from this day to the great city of Chicago." Among initial regular users of the telegraph line was the local newspaper, the Seward Daily Gateway. In August 1905, owner Frank Ballaine began featuring the previous day's news from the Coterminous United States in his paper. Before the telegraph line, outside news arrived via steam ship days or weeks later.^[2]

The office was operated by Army personnel. The front room of the building was open to the public who could send and receive messages. The central part of the ground floor served as the operator's station, while workers lived on the second floor. Service continued until an earthquake severed the line in 1934. By that time, radio communication had been established by the Navy and the telegraph line was not replaced. The government retained ownership until 1961. Since then, the building has served as a private residence and rented apartments.^[2]

References

↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
1 2 3 "US Government Cable Office". Seward Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 26 November 2009.

Properties on the National Register of Historic Places in Alaska

	Boroughs

	Aleutians East Anchorage Bristol Bay Denali Fairbanks North Star Haines Juneau Kenai Peninsula Ketchikan Gateway Kodiak Island Lake and Peninsula Matanuska-Susitna North Slope Northwest Arctic Sitka Skagway Wrangell Yakutat

	Census areas

	Aleutians West Bethel Dillingham Hoonah–Angoon Nome Petersburg Prince of Wales–Hyder Southeast Fairbanks Valdez–Cordova Yukon–Koyukuk

	There are no sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Kusilvak Census Area.

Seward, Alaska

Historic sites	Ballaine House Brown & Hawkins Store Lowell Creek Diversion Tunnel Government Cable Office Hoben Park Jesse Lee Home for Children St. Peter's Episcopal Church Seward Depot Swetmann House Van Gilder Hotel

Geography	Bear Creek Exit Glacier 1964 Alaska earthquake Kenai Fjords National Park Lowell Point Mount Marathon Resurrection Bay

Transportation	Alaska Marine Highway Alaska Railroad Seward Airport Seward Highway

Other	Mount Marathon Race Alaska SeaLife Center Alaska Vocational Technical Center Spring Creek Correctional Center

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Government Cable Office

See also

References