\nAT&\;T'\;s New Jersey "\;Pole Farm&rdquo\;
\nand the Story of Short Wave Radiotelephony: \;
\nChatham Marconi Welcomes Dennis Waters to its Speaker Series

By the early 1900s\, Americans could place a telephone call to almost anywhere in North America\, but not overseas. \; To resolve this issue\, in 1928 the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&\;T) purchased more than 800 acres of productive farmland in central New Jersey to build what became the world&rsquo\;s largest radiotelephone shortwave transmitting station. \; It was named &ldquo\;The Pole Farm&rdquo\; after the thousands of tall antenna poles that were installed on the site. \; At its peak in the early 1960s it was a high-tech wonder\, delivering millions of telephone calls across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe\, Africa\, South America\, and the Middle East. \; Changing technology made shortwave radiotelephony obsolete and the site was closed in 1975\, reverting once again to farmland. \; The Pole Farm is now a county park\, providing passive recreation for thousands while retaining traces of its historic high-tech past. \;
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\nAbout Our Speaker

Dennis Waters is an author\, scientist\, and retired internet entrepreneur. \; His first book\, Behavior and Culture in One Dimension\, was published by Routledge in 2021. \; He is a Visiting Scientist at Rutgers University studying the lichens of Central New Jersey\, and for twelve years was Township Historian in Lawrenceville\, NJ. \; He received his PhD from the Thomas Watson School of Engineering at Binghamton University.
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\nAbout Chatham Marconi Maritime Center
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\nFounded in 2002\, the Center is a 501(c)(3) organization which preserves the history of Chatham Radio/WCC and celebrates 20th Century maritime communication through interpretive museum exhibits\, educational programs and community engagement. \; \;The Center comprises the historic Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum and an Education Center offering education in communications science and technology. \; These programs include the Chatham Marconi TechSmart outreach initiative that delivers original wireless technology instruction directly to children in Cape Cod classrooms. \; More at: \;www.ChathamMarconi.org.
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\nAbout the Chatham Marconi Speaker Series
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\nPrograms are usually presented on on the first Thursday of each month from September through June\, and on alternate Thursday evenings during the Summer. \; Subjects are drawn from the resources of the Marconi-RCA Wireless Museum\, the museum'\;s education programs\, or member-suggested topics related to our mission. \;