The Wightman Telecom exhibit, titled The First 110 Years, officially opened on Sept. 9 at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
Wightman Telecom was founded in Clifford in the early 1900s, and is the only telephone company in Canada still owned by the same founding family.
Family members donated artifacts from their personal collections to pay tribute to their forefathers and Wellington County’s history.
“We are a Wellington County-based company,” said Wightman Telecom co-chair Blair Wightman.
“We weren’t sure how to celebrate our 110th anniversary, but our family has a large collection of antique phones so we said, ‘Let’s enquire about having a display done here.’”
The Wightmans’ stories about the trials they faced over four generations, including two World Wars and the Great Depression,
among others, add nuance to the county’s history.
“This exhibit is really about their story. [The Wightmans] are so proud of their family and they love what they do,” said Amy Dunlop, curator of the exhibit. “I really wanted that enthusiasm to shine through.”
The Wightman exhibit runs until Feb. 3.
