Emily Allain

If there was something happening in Boiestown, Emily Allain would be the first to know.

Who was Emily Allain and how was she at the forefront of all social and private affairs?

Emily Allain was the switchboard operator for Boiestown’s first telephone service, called the Holt Line. With one party line that cost 20¢/call to connected people between Boiestown and Doaktown, Emily would hear all the town gossip through her headset. The phone office was in Emily`s home, where she operated the line (with some assistance), and took care of its weekly financial revenue by sending money orders to the phone company.

Emily Allain and husband Lee Allain settled in Boiestown in 1923, building their house using pieces of an old Roman Catholic Chapel. She met her husband while she was working at Duffy’s Hotel, and through his support and her determination, Emily held multiple titles during her lifetime. From assisting the local doctor as a midwife to serving on the school board, Emily Allain was the glue that kept this community together.

  • May 12, 1981 interview by Patricia Lee E. Lyons
Emily Allain
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