If you stop by Harper’s Old General Store across the road from Seneca Rocks, take note of some items on the front porch. Here you’ll see these two old fuel pumps. In the background, you’ll find a pay phone.
I was taken with the patina and shapes of the pumps atop the wide plank wood floor. The pay phone plays a practical role for the folks camping and traveling through the area. Cell service is poor so a pay phone may be their only access to the outside world.
Lots of people laugh at the ridiculousness of pay phones but they are a lifeline for many folks – either because there’s no cell service or because they simply don’t have a cell phone at all. After all, there are still people out there who don’t have cell phones. Still, they’re so uncommon I never hesitate to photograph them when I’m out and about.
So take a look when you’re at Harper’s and be sure to go in for a snack and a souvenir. Support those small businesses when you can!
Once upon a time I went rock climbing at Seneca Rocks. I photographed a couple payphones when I visited Scott Bar in Siskiyou County California last year. There truly is no other phone service in the canyon. They seem so anachronistic, but are necessary!
I notice them more in small towns with limited cell service. You also see then a lot outside jails and police departments. Probably a necessary amenity for many!