Many of these party lines were around until the 1970s when they started to disappear. I have learned that the last party line was phased out in 1991. In some cases, you did not avoid the exposure to a party line just because you had a private line.

How does a party line work?

Party Lines A party line was a local telephone loop circuit that was shared by more than one subscriber. There was no privacy on a party line; if you were conversing with a friend, anyone on your party line could pick up their telephone and listen in.