Holbrook is a small community about ten miles south of Boston. The town still maintains its fire alarm telegraph system (like a few others around MA) with about 100 boxes; all of them are nicely and well-kept with bright red paint like the one pictured. Around town there are several of the L.W. Bills type scattered among Gamewell boxes of similar design; some are quite old. Here in Massachusetts most small-to-medium sized communities have discontinued their hard-wired emergency call box systems; many have converted to wireless technology and these boxes usually are in stores, schools and other high-traffic locations.

Interestingly, Boston and a few other large cities around the state have desired to keep their fire alarm telegraph systems. Among their top reasons for doing so is that these analog methods of emergency reporting would keep working if and when cellular and other electronic methods of communication failed.

Three more images of this L.W. Bills fire alarm call box follow.