AmherstTelephone Company, also known as Amherst Communications, is a provider of Internet, telephone and television in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States and neighboring areas. For over 100 years it has been a part of this small Midwestern community.
History
Amherst Telephone Company was incorporated on July 3, 1903. Capital to form the new company was provided by 62 area residents who pledged $25 each to buy a share of stock. C. J. Iverson was selected as the first president. An old gray mare named May was a pioneer partner of the Amherst Telephone Company. She transported poles, materials and linesmen from 1903 though 1929. May was known to the whole community, and many local youth had fun riding her carriage to social gatherings. A car was hired to help her in 1920, but she still was often needed due to the poor roads, which were piled high with snow in the winter. In 1907, a connection was made with the Bell System. In 1908, of line were laid, 233 telephones distributed, and 200 shares bought. The line was built to Custer and Polonia, and a switchboard was installed in the Lukasavitz home. In 1925, Amherst Telephone purchased the Nelsonville and Rosholt exchanges with 400 subscribers. This almost doubled the number of telephones. In 1930, the Great Depression arrived. During the next couple years the company lost half of its subscribers due in large part to economic hardships. In 1935, the Custer exchange closed. In 1955, a new building was constructed for the automatic switchboard that was purchased for Rosholt. In 1957, C. O. Iverson died, and C. O. Iverson, Jr. joined the workforce. There were 1,000 subscribers by the end of the decade. In the 1960s, new buildings were constructed in Amherst, Polonia and Nelsonville. New dial switchboards were purchased for Amherst, Rosholt, Polonia and Nelsonville. In the 1980s, the Nelsonville exchange was eliminated, and new additions were added to the Amherst building. 90% of the lines were buried. A new cable television was formed. There are around 3,000 access lines by mid-decade. In 1999, fire hit the main Amherst Telephone office in Amherst. The disaster knocked out only 20% of customers due to a backup system. In 2018, Amherst Telephone Company now called Amherst Communications continues to expand its Fiber to Home service in neighboring communities, adding 100s of homes to the service area every year through expansion into the under-served countryside. Since its founding, Amherst Telephone Company has continuously changed with the times. They have buried their lines for less storm damage and more reliability. They have grown from party lines to private service, analog service to digital service, and now, from copper wire to fiber optic cable. They partner with WIN, the largest Wisconsin-based fiber optictransport network in the state. Additional partners, Airstream and Midwest Video Solutions, help provide for high bandwidth, high speed video and data capabilities.
