CHAPTER NEWS AND HAPPENINGS

FLORIDA CHAPTER RECEIVES 2006 PRESIDENT'S AWARD

Morse Telegraph Club International President Lavina Shaw has announced that the Florida and Saskatoon Chapters are  recipients of the 2006 President's Award for the United States and Canada, respectively.  This award is given annually to recognize the activities of those chapters who are outstanding in forwarding the mission of the Morse Telegraph Club, which is to preserve the history and knowledge of Morse telegraphy.  Both chapters have been very active in presenting demonstrations in many different venues and in participating in various reenactments which highlight the importance of Morse telegraphy in the national history of both countries. In presenting the awards, International President Lavina Shaw wrote:  "To the members of the Morse Telegraph club:                                    Florida "FX" Chapter                                    Saskatoon "KN" Chapter      I have decided to award two "President Awards" this year to two very well-deserving chapters.  I did this for two reasons:   First I couldn't decide which chapter deserved it more - both chapters have done a fantastic job.  You did exceedingly well with putting on Morse demonstrations, re-inactments, etc.  You have made us proud!  Secondly, I do not know whether my successor will carry on the tradition, so I thought it fitting that both chapters should be recognized.      Thank you for helping to make the Morse Telegraph Club a great one! 73 Lavina Shaw International President (until May 1/07)" Speaking for all chapter members, Secretary Don Andrus wrote President Shaw:  "The Florida Chapter is very pleased to receive the President's Award.  It is most gratifying to know that our efforts have been recognized at the international level.  We also recognize that many other chapters are quite active and may in the future have their efforts rewarded.  We encourage all chapters to do whatever they can do to make sure that the knowledge of this vital step in our technological history is not forgotten by current and future generations."

DADE CITY FL PIONEER DAY 2008
	Florida Chapter members Don Andrus, Tom Bjorkman and Warren McFarland had a wide variety of telegraph instruments and equipment on hand at the annual Dade City Fl Pioneer Day, November 8, 2208.  There was a steady flow of visitors throughout the museum during the day, providing a constant audience for Morse Telegraph demonstrations.

DESTINATION MAITLAND, SEPT. 2008

The Maitland (FL) Historical Society Museum opened a new permanent exhibit, "Destination Maitland,"  September 17, 2008, focusing on the role of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot in the history of the city.  The Florida Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club was invited to participate in the Grand Opening with a demonstration of Morse telegraphy.  Chapter member Warren McFarland, whose father, coincidentally, once worked as Agent-Telegrapher at the Maitland depot, provided the demonstration which was well received by those in attendance.       In addition, using a telegraph key permanently loaned by the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and a sounder donated by the Florida Chapter of MTC, a key-on-board (KOB) was made a part of the permanent exhibit, which will allow future visitors to the exhibit to try their hand at sending Morse code.

WEBSITE HELPS OUT AUTHOR

Author Sean McLachlan, a writer on history and travel, who is currently working on a new book, Guerrilla and Partisan Ranger Tactics of the Civil War, which is scheduled to be published in 2009, by Osprey Publishing, saw the photograph of wire tapping equipment on our website and contacted the webmaster in order to learn more about it.  The wire tapping equipment was constructed by Chapter Secretary-Treasurer Don Andrus for use in Civil War re-enactments in which he participates.  Don and Chapter President, Rob Feeney, who is also a Civil War re-enactor, explained the construction and use of the wire-tapping equipment to McLachlan, who wrote both of them, thanking them for their assistance.  Maybe they will get credit in the book.  Who knows?

WEBSITE GIVES AN ASSIST
	The Florida Chapter website received a request from the curator of the Oshkosh WI Public Museum asking for assistance in establishing a working telegraph exhibit. The request was passed along to the Milwaukee Chapter and in short order the exhibit was up and running. Glad we could help, and kudos to the Milwaukee Chapter for their prompt response.

2008 ANNUAL MEETING, FLORIDA CHAPTER, APRIL 26, 2008

Florida Chapter members enjoyed the opportunity to get together for the annual meeting, held in the National Railway Historical Society Railroad Museum in Winter Garden, FL, April 26, 2008. Members brought telegraph instruments and equipment which were the subject of discussion and reminiscences from other members and were also used to demonstrate Morse telegraphy to museum visitors during the day. A special guest was George Morse, descended from the brother of Samuel F. B. Morse's fourth great-grandfather. Not a close connection, but still connected. Mr. Morse is not a telegrapher, but is interested in the activities of the Morse Telegraph Club.  (That's Geroge in the photo to the left.) The group adjourned to a nearby restaurant for lunch, then returned to the museum for coffee and birthday cake, baked by Cathy Feeney, the mother of Chapter President, Rob Feeney.  During the day, telegraphic greetings were exchanged with other chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada via the U.S. and Canadian hubs.

WILD WEST DAYS, MT. DORA, FL, APRIL 19-20, 2008

In a new venue for the FX Chapter, members Don Andrus, John and Rob Feeney, assisted by Cathy Feeney and Ann Shim, set up the Overland Telegraph Office in a tent to display and demonstrate antique and replica telegraph instruments and equipment during the first Wild West Days held in Mt. Dora. Visitors were much intrigued by the heliograph constructed by Don Andrus. (See a picture of the heliograph in the Album section of this site) The heliograph was widely used by the U. S. Army on the Western frontier in the late 1800s for communication between military units.

NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY DAY, WINTER GARDEN, 2008

The Central Florida Chapter of the N.R.H.S. hosted a pancake breakfast in conjunction with the Florida Track Car Association's spring tour, as a fund raiser for the Central Florida Railroad Museum in Winter Garden. At the request of the local N.R.H.S. chapter, Florida Morse Chapter member Don Andrus was on hand to display and demonstrate various antique and replica telegraph instruments and equipment for members of the track car group and the general public. The track cars left the museum at 9AM and traveled to Tavares, FL and return via various segments of CSX trackage.

FLORIDA CITRUS MODEL TRAIN SHOW, 2008
	Florida Chapter members Robert and John Feeney demonstrated telegraph instruments and equipment, as well as railroad memorabilia during this daylong event in Pembroke Pines, FL, March 22, 2008. Their presentation was well received by visitors to the show.

SPRINGTIME ON THE MALL, AVON PARK, FL, 2008

Florida Chapter members Tom Bjorkman and Warren McFarland, assisted by At-Large member Clyde Francis, set up a two-station telegraph circuit in the Depot Museum during the annual Springtime On The Mall Festival in Avon Park, March 21-22, 2008.  Easter weekend and inclement weather may have reduced attendance at the festival this year, but there wre many visitors who took advantage of the existence of the telegraph circuit to send a souviner telegram to a member of their party.  One group of former railroaders indicated that their visit to the Depot Museum was solely because of the advance advertising of the presence of the Morse Club telegraphers.

DADE CITY MODEL TRAIN SHOW, MARCH 2008

Florida Chapter member Tom Bjorkman had the telegraph office in the old Trilby Depot up and running during the Model Train Show at the Pioneer Florida Museum, Dade City, FL, March 29, 2008. The Instructograph tape ran all day, giving the many visitors the sound of an active railroad telegraph office. One visitor claimed to be distantly related to Samuel F. B. Morse, but did not provide any details.

RAILROAD SHOW AND SWAP MEET, PLANT CITY, FL, 2008

FX chapter members Tom Bjorkman, Don Andrus and Warren McFarland were on hand at the annual railroad show and swap meet of the H.B. Plant Railroad Historical Society, March 15, 2008 in Plant City, FL, to demonstrate the historical usage of telegraphy in railroading. There was a good crowd most of the day, with considerable interest shown. One visitor was heard to remark that what he had learned in the demonstration was worth the price of admission. Appreciation such as that helps to keep the interest of members alive.

OLD FLORIDA DAYS FESTIVAL, NAPLES, FL, 2008

Florida Chapter members had The Southern Telegraph Company field telegraph office set up at the Old Florida Days Festival sponsored by the Collier County Historical Society on March 1st. & 2nd, 2008.  Members John Feeney and Don Andrus manned the telegraph station while Rob Feeney reprised his role as a Civil War surgeon and pharmacist and Cathy Feeney and friend Anna kept the men in line and gave demonstrations of weaving techniques. Good weather encouraged an excellent public turnout to the event. Once again, chapter members brought American Morse telegraphy to life, showing the youth the origins of text messaging, and, for those old enough to remember the town telegraph office or depot, a bit of nostalgia.

THE BATTLE OF BALLAST POINT, 2008

The Civil War battle of Ballast Point was reenacted February 23rd and 24th at Ft. Desoto, at the mouth of Tampa Bay.  Telegraphic services were provided by the Southern Telegraph Company in a telegraph field office set up at the old fort.  Fort Desoto was originally constructed for the Spanish-American War and continued as a military installation through World War II.  On duty at the Field Office was FX Chapter member Don Andrus, who also was present for the Education Day on Friday to demonstrate the American Morse telegraph for an estimated 1000 public, private and home-schooled students.

OLD TRILBY DEPOT ACTIVE AT DADE CITY, FEBRUARY 9-10, 2008

The old Trilby Depot on the grounds of the Florida Pioneer Museum, Dade City, FL was active during both days of the museum's Quilt Show and Tractor Pull, February 9th and 10th, 2008.  Those two annual events attracted large crowds who took advantage of the fine weather to tour the balance of the museum's historical buildings and demonstrations.  Chapter Vice-President Tom Bjorkman was assisted by chapter members L.A. Bailey, Warren McFarland, Don Andrus, Scott Black and At-Large member Clyde Francis in demonstrating the telegraph equipment installed in the depot.  During the course of Saturday, contact was made through the Canadian Hub with two MTC members in Quebec, and telegraphic greetings were exchanged.

CIVIL WAR HERITAGE DAYS, KEY WEST, FL 2008

Civil War Heritage Days were held in Key West, FL February 8, ,9 and 10, 2008, with most of the action centered around Fort Zachary Taylor. Since the fort was held by Union forces all through the war, the Southern Telegraph Company field office was converted to a field office of the U. S. Military Telegraph Corps for the duration, with Florida Chapter members Robert, John and Cathy Feeney providing the staff. Approximately 400 school children came through on School Day, with excellent crowds the remainder of the time, augmented by a candle light tour of the fort on one night, during which Chapter president Robert Feeney was able to present several stories regarding the use of Morse telegraph during the war. Tom Perera, one of the foremost telegraph collectors in the world, was a visitor during the demonstrations.. (A link to Tom's site, www.w1tp.com is located on the LINKS page of this site.)

BATTLE OF TOWNSEND'S PLANTATION, 2008

Florida Chapter President Robert Feeney and chapter members John and Cathy Feeney had the Southern Telegraph Field Office set up and operational during the annual reenactment of the Battle of Townsend's Plantation, in Mt. Dora, FL, February 1,2, and 3, 2008. Approximately 300 school children came through on the School Day, and were exposed to the history of Morse Telegraphy in connection with the Civil War. There were good crowds the following two days, making the weekend a solid success in imparting knowledge of the telegraph.

BATTLE OF GOPHER RIDGE, 2008

Florida Chapter President Rob Feeney and members John and Cathy Feeney had the Southern Telegraph Field Office set up for demonstrations at this Civil War demonstration of the Battle of Gopher Ridge, near Immokalee, FL on January 5 & 6, 2008.  The original battle was between Confederate and Union soldiers over cattle destined to be used to feed Confederate troops.  This year's event was well advertised in the area, resulting in a good turnout and many visitors to the telegraph office.

BROOKSVILLE (FL) RAID, 2008

Florida Chapter president Rob Feeney and members Don Andrus, John and Cathy Feeney once again participated in the annual Brooksville (FL) Raid Civil War reenactment, January 18-20, 2008, posing as civilian employees of the Southern Telegraph Company providing telegraphic services to the Confederacy. The three day event was a complete success despite less than ideal weather. The 'Education Day' featured FX Chapter members demonstrating the American Morse Telegraph and speaking of its history, importance, and use to more than 1500 students. The following two days the event was open to the public and a high level of interest was maintained. The large Civil War reenactments, such as the Brooksville Raid, are an excellent way to give the Morse Telegraph maximum exposure to the public, which is the goal of the Chapter and those individuals participating in these educational events.

TAVARES RAILROAD DAYS, JANUARY 2008

Chapter Vice-President Tom Bjorkman reports that several hundred visitors stopped by the Morse Telegraph Club exhibit and demonstration during Tavares, FL annual Railroad Days celebration, held in Tavares City Hall on January 4, 2008.  Many of the visitors, mostly adults,  were very interested and asked a lot of questions.  Chapter members Don Andrus, L.A. Bailey and Scott Black also took part in the demonstrations.  Scott won a toy Disney model train set in the fund-raising raffle and is now doubly happy that he participated in the demonstration.

THIS DOG COULD READ CODE!

Chapter members Don Andrus and John Feeney, assisted by Cathy Feeney, established a field office of the Southern Telegraph Company at the annual Cape Coral, FL Civil War Heritage event on the grounds of the Cape Coral Historical Society museum, November 3, 2007. John and Don were featured on a live segment on WINK-TV during the morning. There was considerable interest from all visitors, but the younger group were especially interested in tapping out their own names on the Morse printing register and taking the tape home for a souvenir. One of the older visitors, a retired fireman, was also interested in the printing register. He said that they had similar machines in the fire stations where he worked, to record the calls from the alarm boxes throughout the city. He told of a fire station dog which learned to read the code! Each alarm box activated a unique three digit code when pulled and every box in a given area began with the same numeral, with the second and third digits further locating the alarm box which had been activated. Alarm bells from all over the city would sound in every fire station, but the crews would only respond to alarms whose code located it within their area of responsibility. The talented fire dog resided in a fire station whose area code began with the numeral nine --- nine strikes of the bell, followed by a pause, followed by more strikes, another pause and the final strikes indicating the location of the alarm box. As soon as the ninth strike of the bell sounded, the fire dog would be up and running to the fire truck.

CHAPTER'S NEWEST MEMBER GETS BUSY

FX Chapter’s newest member, Scott Black, has been busy spreading the word about Florida railroad history, including Morse telegraphy and the old Trilby depot, which is a project of the Florida chapter in conjunction with the Pioneer Florida Museum in Dade City, FL. Scott, whose grandfather was the long-time Section Foreman at Trilby, spoke at the monthly meeting of the Sumter County Historical Society, in Sumterville, FL, on October 25th, 2007 and on October 28th attended the annual dinner meeting of the Pioneer Florida Museum Association where plans were discussed for a railroad show in 2008, which would provide further opportunity for the Chapter to demonstrate Morse telegraphy.

MORSE CLUB FLORIDA CHAPTER HOLDS ANNUAL MEETING, 2007

The Florida Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club held its annual meeting, Saturday, April 28th, in the Central Florida Railroad Museum in Winter Garden, FL. The meeting coincided with an outing by the Florida Motor Car Operators over former Tavares and Gulf Railroad tracks from Tavares to Winter Garden, FL. As a result, there was a continuous flow of visitors through the museum throughout the day. Florida Chapter members took advantage of the situation to demonstrate Morse telegraphy with antique and replica telegraph equipment and in educating the visitors about the history of telegraphy. Considerable interest was shown by all of the vistors. During the day, Florida Chapter members exchanged telegraphic greetings with members of other chapters through the U.S. and Canadian Hubs. In an abbreviated business meeting, Tom Bjorkman was elected Vice-President of the Florida Chapter. Afterwards, Chapter members and guests enjoyed birthday cake and coffee honoring Samuel F. B. Morse. The cake, as always, was provided by Cathy Feeney, mother of Chapter President Robert Feeney.

FLORIDA CHAPTER RECEIVES DONATION

Upon learning of the Florida Chapter’s efforts to restore the telegraph office of the old Trilby Depot, now on the grounds of the Pioneer Museum in Dade City, FL, to its 1950s appearance, Bill and Mary Cogswell, National Railroad Historical Society members from Deland, FL decided to donate a group of train orders from their collection for display at the depot. These train orders are the office copies of train orders received at the Trilby depot in December 1968, when it was an active train order office. Chapter member Warren McFarland is in the process of preparing a display which will preserve the train orders and also educate the general public as to the purpose and use of train orders. The Florida Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club is extremely grateful to Bill and Mary Cogswell for this generous donation. For the benefit of visitors to this website who may not be familiar with train orders, the following explanation is offered: One of the primary responsibilities of the railroad telegrapher was to copy train orders for delivery to passing trains. These train orders were issued by a Train Dispatcher who controlled the movement of trains over tracks within a given territory. The Standard Book of Rules and the Official Time Table in effect at the time provided the general background for the movement of trains, but train orders were more specific. They were addressed to a specific train or trains and directed that train to do whatever the Train Dispatcher had decided needed to be done: meet another train, wait at specified locations, run late on its published schedule, be cautious under the circumstances described or numerous other actions.. The Standard Book of Rules established the form, format and meaning of the train orders as well as the meanings of all fixed, audible and hand signals in addition to a large number of other rules for the movement of trains and the duties and deportment of various classes of railroad employees. The Official Time Table contained train numbers and schedules, the location of all offices where a passing train might expect to receive train orders, the lengths of all passing tracks and a variety of other information which might be necessary or useful to train crews operating trains over the territory covered. After World War II, many major railroads installed Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) systems to control train movements. Using CTC, a Train Dispatcher could align track switches so that trains could move into and out of sidings without having to stop and hand throw switches. The Train Dispatcher could also control the trackside signals governing the movement of trains. These capabilities eliminated the need for most train orders, thus eliminating the need for railroad telegraphers to copy and deliver them.

MORSE CLUB TAPS INTO PAST
	By RONNIE BLAIR rblair@tampatrib.com Tampa (FL) Tribune, Published: Sep 5, 2005

DADE CITY - The tapping sounds emanating from the telegraph instruments in the old Trilby Depot provide a time-machine experience for Tom Bjorkman and Warren McFarland. The two men worked - long, long ago, they say - as telegraphers for railroad companies. Bjorkman, 67, of Brooksville, was with the Erie Railroad. McFarland, 82, of Orlando, was with the Atlantic Coastline Railroad. Once upon a time, they were go-to guys when it came to sending and receiving messages. For these two, Morse code is a second language, as simple as A, B, C. Or in this case, as simple as dot-dash, dash-dot- dot-dot, dash-dot-dash-dot. Where others hear meaningless noise, Bjorkman and McFarland hear an insistent tapping that lifts away the years and hearkens back to a time when the telegraph played a crucial role in the nation's development.

These days, though, the message Bjorkman, McFarland and others like them send is mainly one of remembrance. As members of the Morse Telegraph Club of Florida, they keep the torch lit for a means of communication that serves little purpose in an age of cellular telephones and e-mail. ``We just like to keep it alive a little bit longer,'' Bjorkman said. On Sunday, at the 31st annual Pioneer Days Festival, Bjorkman and McFarland demonstrated telegraph equipment to visitors who strolled through the Trilby Depot, which sits on the grounds of the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village. Morse Telegraph Club members also demonstrated the equipment Saturday, but they won't be back today as the festival concludes.

Bjorkman said the club is restoring the telegraph table at the depot. Work remains to be done, but progress has been made. ``We have a good working display,'' Bjorkman said. The club members, no fans of the hands-off approach, encouraged children to tap out their names in Morse code. The youngsters might as well do it for fun. None of them is likely to do it for pay, as Bjorkman and McFarland once did. ``I last did it for real in 1962,'' Bjorkman said.

The telegraph had a good ride, though. Samuel Morse invented the telegraph in the 1840s and by the 1850s its use was widespread in the United States. McFarland and Bjorkman said that during the Civil War, the telegraph was used to keep generals updated about events on the battlefields. The military also made use of the telegraph in World War I and, to a lesser extent, in World War II, Bjorkman said. By the mid-20th century, though, as other means of communications developed, the telegraph's importance began to wane. In most places, it was phased out in the 1960s, Bjorkman said. The last land line in the United States was discontinued in 1982 at Whitehall, Mont., he said.

Telegraphers had seen that coming 40 years earlier. In 1942, some of them formed the Morse Telegraph Club to keep the traditions of their vocation alive. Now there are club chapters in nearly every state, including the chapter in Florida, which has 34 members. Once a year, the members pay homage to the man who made their old profession possible. On the last Saturday of each April, each chapter celebrates Morse's birthday, which was April 27, 1791. The Florida group holds its Morse birthday gala at the Central Florida Railroad Museum in Winter Garden.

Railroads and the telegraph were linked almost from the beginning, McFarland said. Since the railroad tracks were already there, it made sense to put in telegraph lines along the tracks. ``Then it became natural for railroad employees to become telegraph operators,'' he said.

One piece of equipment Bjorkman and McFarland demonstrated Sunday was an Instructograph, a device used to teach Morse code. The lessons were on yellow paper tape that was threaded through a machine. Holes punched in the paper represented the dots and dashes. The machine read those, then sent a message to a telegraph sounder and the student would try to write down the message as it was tapped out. McFarland said he never had an Instructograph. Instead, his father served the machine's role, helping him to learn Morse code. ``I learned this,'' McFarland said. ``I've never forgotten it.''     Reprinted from The Tampa (FL) Tribune.  Used by permission.