Died at home: 1603 Cottage Lane. (Source: Death Certificate)
Wife: Sarah Helen Stanford
Famous inventor, known for his involvement in the early history of telephones. Among his U.S. Patents are:
- 278,357 on May 29, 1883 for a "Time-Signal for Telephones"
- 287,710 on October 30, 1883 for a "Telephone Time-Signal Repeating System"
- 328,055 on October 13, 1885 for a "Time-Signal Transmitting System"
- 537,932 on April 23, 1895 for a "Method of and Apparatus for Protecting Electric Circuits"
- 552,542 on January 7, 1896 for an "Apparatus for Protecting Electrical Circuits"
~
JOHN M. ORAM, a member of the family for whom Oram Street in northeast Dallas is named, occupies a unique place in the development of the electric and communications industries of Dallas. A successful inventor of mechanical and electrical instruments, he might well be singled out as the outstanding pioneer in the field of electronics in this part of the country. Oram was born near Bloomington, Indiana, in 1845 and was brought to Dallas County as a twelve-year-old lad in 1857 when his parents settled in the south part of the county near the town of Lancaster. Oram's cousin, also raised by his parents, was the late Arthur A. Everts, longtime Dallas jeweler and business, civic, and church leader. Oram himself began his career as a jeweler and watchmaker. He returned as a youth to Indiana to study these crafts. Coming back to Dallas in 1871, he opened a jewelry store, which he built up during the next ten years into the largest establishment of its kind in Dallas.
Oram was not only a successful businessman but a highly skilled inventor, particularly adept in adapting and perfecting instruments used in the telephone and general electrical industries. During the Civil War, Oram enlisted in the Confederate Army contingent from Dallas County. But because of his special skills, he was transferred from active military duty to the factory established by the Confederate government at Lancaster, which manufactured pistols and other firearms as well as cotton and woolen cloth. Oram resumed his active career of invention in the 1870s. In 1878 he constructed and installed the first telephone line in Dallas, which extended from his home on Cottage Lane (now Federal Street) to his jewelry store on Elm Street between Ervay and Akard. Two years before, the first practical public demonstration of the telephone had been given at the U.S. Centennial Exposition held at Philadelphia. In 1881 Oram became the leading spirit in the construction of the first telephone line between Dallas and Fort Worth. The first telephone message from Fort Worth was received in Oram's place of business on Elm Street. He was also able to state with pride that he had installed the first electric light ever seen in Dallas.
A total eclipse of the sun, which occurred in 1880, provided him a meaningful association with the astronomical world. Professor Todd, a distinguished astronomer and scientist on the faculty of Amherst College, came to Dallas in advance of the phenomenon to make scientific observations of it. He asked to be put in touch with the most accurate timekeeper in Dallas and found that by consensus Oram held that distinction. A firm friendship quickly developed between the visiting scientist and the Dallas watchmaker and inventor. The professor erected a transit pier on the family lawn on Cottage Lane where instruments were placed for making observations during the eclipse. The transit pier and other equipment long remained in the Oram family as mementos of the 1880 observation and the association of Oram with the astronomer scientist. Oram's concern with time-recording led him in 1885 to invent a time signal that could be heard by subscribers over the telephone by simply lifting the receiver and listening for an automatic time signal. This long since has been made obsolete by recordings giving time, temperature, and other information over the phone to those dialing a certain number.
Oram is also credited with being the first to invent a device which eliminated the old-fashioned hand cranking of a telephone to provide a ringing signal at the other end. He invented or perfected a number of other electrical devices, including one to locate leaks of electricity on telephone or other electrical lines. One of Orarn's most interesting inventions was an electric device designed to protect banks against robbers.
In the late 1880s he switched his interest to the manufacture and distribution of electric power, becoming general manager of the Dallas Electric Light & Power Company. At other times he held the same managerial post with the Standard Electric Light & Power Company. He served, in fact, as manager of every light company which had operated in Dallas up to the time of his death in 1914. Most of these companies were units of what has today become the Dallas Power & Light Company. Oram also wrote the first electrical code for the city of Dallas. He built the Oram Building on Elm Street, one of the city's first "skyscrapers," that was latcr occupied by W. A. Green dry goods store after the Oram jewelry store closed. A charter member and officer of the First Christian Church of Dallas in 1875, Oram later became a founder and longtime member of the Central Christian Church of Dallas. He was also a pioneer director of the Dallas YMCA.
Courtesy Dallas Yesterday by Sam H. Acheson. Dallas Gateway: Pioneers of Dallas County
Wife: Sarah Helen Stanford
Famous inventor, known for his involvement in the early history of telephones. Among his U.S. Patents are:
- 278,357 on May 29, 1883 for a "Time-Signal for Telephones"
- 287,710 on October 30, 1883 for a "Telephone Time-Signal Repeating System"
- 328,055 on October 13, 1885 for a "Time-Signal Transmitting System"
- 537,932 on April 23, 1895 for a "Method of and Apparatus for Protecting Electric Circuits"
- 552,542 on January 7, 1896 for an "Apparatus for Protecting Electrical Circuits"
~
JOHN M. ORAM, a member of the family for whom Oram Street in northeast Dallas is named, occupies a unique place in the development of the electric and communications industries of Dallas. A successful inventor of mechanical and electrical instruments, he might well be singled out as the outstanding pioneer in the field of electronics in this part of the country. Oram was born near Bloomington, Indiana, in 1845 and was brought to Dallas County as a twelve-year-old lad in 1857 when his parents settled in the south part of the county near the town of Lancaster. Oram's cousin, also raised by his parents, was the late Arthur A. Everts, longtime Dallas jeweler and business, civic, and church leader. Oram himself began his career as a jeweler and watchmaker. He returned as a youth to Indiana to study these crafts. Coming back to Dallas in 1871, he opened a jewelry store, which he built up during the next ten years into the largest establishment of its kind in Dallas.
Oram was not only a successful businessman but a highly skilled inventor, particularly adept in adapting and perfecting instruments used in the telephone and general electrical industries. During the Civil War, Oram enlisted in the Confederate Army contingent from Dallas County. But because of his special skills, he was transferred from active military duty to the factory established by the Confederate government at Lancaster, which manufactured pistols and other firearms as well as cotton and woolen cloth. Oram resumed his active career of invention in the 1870s. In 1878 he constructed and installed the first telephone line in Dallas, which extended from his home on Cottage Lane (now Federal Street) to his jewelry store on Elm Street between Ervay and Akard. Two years before, the first practical public demonstration of the telephone had been given at the U.S. Centennial Exposition held at Philadelphia. In 1881 Oram became the leading spirit in the construction of the first telephone line between Dallas and Fort Worth. The first telephone message from Fort Worth was received in Oram's place of business on Elm Street. He was also able to state with pride that he had installed the first electric light ever seen in Dallas.
A total eclipse of the sun, which occurred in 1880, provided him a meaningful association with the astronomical world. Professor Todd, a distinguished astronomer and scientist on the faculty of Amherst College, came to Dallas in advance of the phenomenon to make scientific observations of it. He asked to be put in touch with the most accurate timekeeper in Dallas and found that by consensus Oram held that distinction. A firm friendship quickly developed between the visiting scientist and the Dallas watchmaker and inventor. The professor erected a transit pier on the family lawn on Cottage Lane where instruments were placed for making observations during the eclipse. The transit pier and other equipment long remained in the Oram family as mementos of the 1880 observation and the association of Oram with the astronomer scientist. Oram's concern with time-recording led him in 1885 to invent a time signal that could be heard by subscribers over the telephone by simply lifting the receiver and listening for an automatic time signal. This long since has been made obsolete by recordings giving time, temperature, and other information over the phone to those dialing a certain number.
Oram is also credited with being the first to invent a device which eliminated the old-fashioned hand cranking of a telephone to provide a ringing signal at the other end. He invented or perfected a number of other electrical devices, including one to locate leaks of electricity on telephone or other electrical lines. One of Orarn's most interesting inventions was an electric device designed to protect banks against robbers.
In the late 1880s he switched his interest to the manufacture and distribution of electric power, becoming general manager of the Dallas Electric Light & Power Company. At other times he held the same managerial post with the Standard Electric Light & Power Company. He served, in fact, as manager of every light company which had operated in Dallas up to the time of his death in 1914. Most of these companies were units of what has today become the Dallas Power & Light Company. Oram also wrote the first electrical code for the city of Dallas. He built the Oram Building on Elm Street, one of the city's first "skyscrapers," that was latcr occupied by W. A. Green dry goods store after the Oram jewelry store closed. A charter member and officer of the First Christian Church of Dallas in 1875, Oram later became a founder and longtime member of the Central Christian Church of Dallas. He was also a pioneer director of the Dallas YMCA.
Courtesy Dallas Yesterday by Sam H. Acheson. Dallas Gateway: Pioneers of Dallas County
Died at home: 1603 Cottage Lane. (Source: Death Certificate)
Wife: Sarah Helen Stanford
Famous inventor, known for his involvement in the early history of telephones. Among his U.S. Patents are:
- 278,357 on May 29, 1883 for a "Time-Signal for Telephones"
- 287,710 on October 30, 1883 for a "Telephone Time-Signal Repeating System"
- 328,055 on October 13, 1885 for a "Time-Signal Transmitting System"
- 537,932 on April 23, 1895 for a "Method of and Apparatus for Protecting Electric Circuits"
- 552,542 on January 7, 1896 for an "Apparatus for Protecting Electrical Circuits"
~
JOHN M. ORAM, a member of the family for whom Oram Street in northeast Dallas is named, occupies a unique place in the development of the electric and communications industries of Dallas. A successful inventor of mechanical and electrical instruments, he might well be singled out as the outstanding pioneer in the field of electronics in this part of the country. Oram was born near Bloomington, Indiana, in 1845 and was brought to Dallas County as a twelve-year-old lad in 1857 when his parents settled in the south part of the county near the town of Lancaster. Oram's cousin, also raised by his parents, was the late Arthur A. Everts, longtime Dallas jeweler and business, civic, and church leader. Oram himself began his career as a jeweler and watchmaker. He returned as a youth to Indiana to study these crafts. Coming back to Dallas in 1871, he opened a jewelry store, which he built up during the next ten years into the largest establishment of its kind in Dallas.
Oram was not only a successful businessman but a highly skilled inventor, particularly adept in adapting and perfecting instruments used in the telephone and general electrical industries. During the Civil War, Oram enlisted in the Confederate Army contingent from Dallas County. But because of his special skills, he was transferred from active military duty to the factory established by the Confederate government at Lancaster, which manufactured pistols and other firearms as well as cotton and woolen cloth. Oram resumed his active career of invention in the 1870s. In 1878 he constructed and installed the first telephone line in Dallas, which extended from his home on Cottage Lane (now Federal Street) to his jewelry store on Elm Street between Ervay and Akard. Two years before, the first practical public demonstration of the telephone had been given at the U.S. Centennial Exposition held at Philadelphia. In 1881 Oram became the leading spirit in the construction of the first telephone line between Dallas and Fort Worth. The first telephone message from Fort Worth was received in Oram's place of business on Elm Street. He was also able to state with pride that he had installed the first electric light ever seen in Dallas.
A total eclipse of the sun, which occurred in 1880, provided him a meaningful association with the astronomical world. Professor Todd, a distinguished astronomer and scientist on the faculty of Amherst College, came to Dallas in advance of the phenomenon to make scientific observations of it. He asked to be put in touch with the most accurate timekeeper in Dallas and found that by consensus Oram held that distinction. A firm friendship quickly developed between the visiting scientist and the Dallas watchmaker and inventor. The professor erected a transit pier on the family lawn on Cottage Lane where instruments were placed for making observations during the eclipse. The transit pier and other equipment long remained in the Oram family as mementos of the 1880 observation and the association of Oram with the astronomer scientist. Oram's concern with time-recording led him in 1885 to invent a time signal that could be heard by subscribers over the telephone by simply lifting the receiver and listening for an automatic time signal. This long since has been made obsolete by recordings giving time, temperature, and other information over the phone to those dialing a certain number.
Oram is also credited with being the first to invent a device which eliminated the old-fashioned hand cranking of a telephone to provide a ringing signal at the other end. He invented or perfected a number of other electrical devices, including one to locate leaks of electricity on telephone or other electrical lines. One of Orarn's most interesting inventions was an electric device designed to protect banks against robbers.
In the late 1880s he switched his interest to the manufacture and distribution of electric power, becoming general manager of the Dallas Electric Light & Power Company. At other times he held the same managerial post with the Standard Electric Light & Power Company. He served, in fact, as manager of every light company which had operated in Dallas up to the time of his death in 1914. Most of these companies were units of what has today become the Dallas Power & Light Company. Oram also wrote the first electrical code for the city of Dallas. He built the Oram Building on Elm Street, one of the city's first "skyscrapers," that was latcr occupied by W. A. Green dry goods store after the Oram jewelry store closed. A charter member and officer of the First Christian Church of Dallas in 1875, Oram later became a founder and longtime member of the Central Christian Church of Dallas. He was also a pioneer director of the Dallas YMCA.
Courtesy Dallas Yesterday by Sam H. Acheson. Dallas Gateway: Pioneers of Dallas County
Wife: Sarah Helen Stanford
Famous inventor, known for his involvement in the early history of telephones. Among his U.S. Patents are:
- 278,357 on May 29, 1883 for a "Time-Signal for Telephones"
- 287,710 on October 30, 1883 for a "Telephone Time-Signal Repeating System"
- 328,055 on October 13, 1885 for a "Time-Signal Transmitting System"
- 537,932 on April 23, 1895 for a "Method of and Apparatus for Protecting Electric Circuits"
- 552,542 on January 7, 1896 for an "Apparatus for Protecting Electrical Circuits"
~
JOHN M. ORAM, a member of the family for whom Oram Street in northeast Dallas is named, occupies a unique place in the development of the electric and communications industries of Dallas. A successful inventor of mechanical and electrical instruments, he might well be singled out as the outstanding pioneer in the field of electronics in this part of the country. Oram was born near Bloomington, Indiana, in 1845 and was brought to Dallas County as a twelve-year-old lad in 1857 when his parents settled in the south part of the county near the town of Lancaster. Oram's cousin, also raised by his parents, was the late Arthur A. Everts, longtime Dallas jeweler and business, civic, and church leader. Oram himself began his career as a jeweler and watchmaker. He returned as a youth to Indiana to study these crafts. Coming back to Dallas in 1871, he opened a jewelry store, which he built up during the next ten years into the largest establishment of its kind in Dallas.
Oram was not only a successful businessman but a highly skilled inventor, particularly adept in adapting and perfecting instruments used in the telephone and general electrical industries. During the Civil War, Oram enlisted in the Confederate Army contingent from Dallas County. But because of his special skills, he was transferred from active military duty to the factory established by the Confederate government at Lancaster, which manufactured pistols and other firearms as well as cotton and woolen cloth. Oram resumed his active career of invention in the 1870s. In 1878 he constructed and installed the first telephone line in Dallas, which extended from his home on Cottage Lane (now Federal Street) to his jewelry store on Elm Street between Ervay and Akard. Two years before, the first practical public demonstration of the telephone had been given at the U.S. Centennial Exposition held at Philadelphia. In 1881 Oram became the leading spirit in the construction of the first telephone line between Dallas and Fort Worth. The first telephone message from Fort Worth was received in Oram's place of business on Elm Street. He was also able to state with pride that he had installed the first electric light ever seen in Dallas.
A total eclipse of the sun, which occurred in 1880, provided him a meaningful association with the astronomical world. Professor Todd, a distinguished astronomer and scientist on the faculty of Amherst College, came to Dallas in advance of the phenomenon to make scientific observations of it. He asked to be put in touch with the most accurate timekeeper in Dallas and found that by consensus Oram held that distinction. A firm friendship quickly developed between the visiting scientist and the Dallas watchmaker and inventor. The professor erected a transit pier on the family lawn on Cottage Lane where instruments were placed for making observations during the eclipse. The transit pier and other equipment long remained in the Oram family as mementos of the 1880 observation and the association of Oram with the astronomer scientist. Oram's concern with time-recording led him in 1885 to invent a time signal that could be heard by subscribers over the telephone by simply lifting the receiver and listening for an automatic time signal. This long since has been made obsolete by recordings giving time, temperature, and other information over the phone to those dialing a certain number.
Oram is also credited with being the first to invent a device which eliminated the old-fashioned hand cranking of a telephone to provide a ringing signal at the other end. He invented or perfected a number of other electrical devices, including one to locate leaks of electricity on telephone or other electrical lines. One of Orarn's most interesting inventions was an electric device designed to protect banks against robbers.
In the late 1880s he switched his interest to the manufacture and distribution of electric power, becoming general manager of the Dallas Electric Light & Power Company. At other times he held the same managerial post with the Standard Electric Light & Power Company. He served, in fact, as manager of every light company which had operated in Dallas up to the time of his death in 1914. Most of these companies were units of what has today become the Dallas Power & Light Company. Oram also wrote the first electrical code for the city of Dallas. He built the Oram Building on Elm Street, one of the city's first "skyscrapers," that was latcr occupied by W. A. Green dry goods store after the Oram jewelry store closed. A charter member and officer of the First Christian Church of Dallas in 1875, Oram later became a founder and longtime member of the Central Christian Church of Dallas. He was also a pioneer director of the Dallas YMCA.
Courtesy Dallas Yesterday by Sam H. Acheson. Dallas Gateway: Pioneers of Dallas County
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