An old-fashioned New England snowstorm peacefully blanketed this quaint Vermont village. Can't you smell the fragrance of firewood burning from the stoves and fireplaces within the houses nearby? And can't you hear absolutely nothing but the sound of whatever sleighs, trains in the distance or animals that might be around? Of course before when snowplows, aircraft, vehicular traffic and the lofty noise of people, etc. etc., came about.

Anyway, It is assumed that the earliest crossarm-style telephone open wire by New England Telephone was via using six-pin arms like this one...commencing at some time in the 1890s. These early arrangements had two lag screws affixing the crossarm to the pole (instead of a through-bolt...which came a bit later) and *with* crossarm braces (in most instances) probably 30-inches in length mounted upon the outside of their crossarms. All of this was later replaced by Ma Bell with 10-pin phone line construction in the teens and thereafter, retaining outside braces but with a through-bolt for pole attachment. For many years creosoted pine arms were the norm at least here in the Northeast by Bell companies....with wooden pins continuing as well.