The first telephone since its invention in 1867, has had tremendous improvements made to the style, operation and methods used in telephone technology. The first telephone used in O'Leary homes consisted of an oak box, that held batteries to power the telephone; the crank, to ring a phone number and the receiver, on a cradle attached with a few feet of telephone wire. Should someone be talking on the line they could be heard and you could listen in or hang up and try later.

The first telephone in O'Leary was at a toll station in the home of Alfred Adams and the first telephone office was operated by Mrs. Thomas Turner from her home on Main Street. By late 1910 a small switchboard was installed in the home of Mrs. Allie MacLennan, moving in 1924 to Alfred Adams' home. In 1928 a much improved O'Leary Telephone Office was built on a small lot east of the A.J. Matheson Drugstore, with Mrs. Lulu Duncan Smallman as the agent.

The rural party line was more than just a feature of early telephone service. It was an institution and could be both a blessing and a curse. The party line helped bring scattered and otherwise isolated people together in times of crisis, celebration and grief. "Listening in" was a recreation.

"Central" or "the operator" as she was called, was friendly and obliging to all people. She might be asked by a patron on their leaving home, to keep a record of any calls, keep an eye on the place, advise the mailman of his or her absence and tell the time of day. She also knew everyone's number, address, and habits- both good and bad; she ordered your telephone, sent notice for payment, and collected the telephone account.

In 1961 the dial system came into effect and rural telephone companies were take over by The Island Telephone Company. On March 18, 1968 the Automatic Dial System came into operation and the O'Leary Telephone Office closed.

In 2001 the telephone office was donated to the Prince Edward Island Potato Museum and was moved from Main Street to the museum complex on Heritage Lane. Later that fall it was placed on a cement foundation and the roof was shingled. During the summer of 2003 the interior and exterior of the building were restored, and an interpretive display telling the story of the telephone in O'Leary was mounted. It will be officially opened in June, 2004. Dr. George had succeeded with the preservation of another great heritage project.