GROUNDBREAKING: In this 1952 photo, officials from the Middleburgh Telephone Company break ground for the firm’s headquarters at Cliff Street and Wells Avenue in Middleburgh. From left: MTC General Manager Randall F. Becker; building foreman James Snyder; MTC President E. Scott Rose; and contractor Thomas Bush. The phone company’s past, present and future will be the subject of a program on April 6 for the Cobleskill Historical Society. The program is open to the public.

COBLESKILL—MIDTEL President Jim Becker, the 4th generation owner of the independent phone company, will share highlights from the local firm’s nearly 130-year history at the April 6 meeting of the Town of Cobleskill Historical Society.

The guest speaker’s topics will include the Becker Family’s long ties to the company founded in 1897; the technological advances the industry has seen over more than a century, MIDTEL’s current operations, and its plans for the future.

The program, which begins at 6 p.m. in the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s community meeting room at 173 S. Grand St., is free and open to the public.

As a nonprofit, 501c (3) organization, Cobleskill historical society membership donations are tax deductible. New members are always welcome. Dues are $10 for the year for both individuals and/or families.

Checks may be mailed to the Town of Cobleskill Historical Society, PO Box 423, Cobleskill, NY 12043.

Follow the society on Facebook at “The Official Town of Cobleskill Historical Society.”