What is this?

[4runner]

My daughter and her husband were painting one of the spare rooms in their late 1950s era house and came across a small electric/warning box attached to one of the walls near the ceiling. It was wired with light duty wires into the wall. A picture is below. Does anyone know what it was for? A type of heat/smoke detector?

Thanks.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Innercom?? phone ringer?
Bill

 

[MossRoad]

Is that a speaker cone inside of it?

 

[MossRoad]

Also, which end is up? :laughing:

 

[4runner]

Which end is up? I'm not sure... but the picture was taken with it mounted. So from the paint drip, I would think the round opening would be towards the top.

As far as it being an intercom, they said it was mounted near the ceiling and not within reach of someone standing.

 

[Kays Supply]

It looks alot like an early door bell ringer like my Grandmother had in her house many years ago. Buzzer would be closer.

 

[MossRoad]

I was thinking buzzer of some type, too.
Here it is rotated 90 degrees.

 

[Redgoatea]

Looks like a phone control box and ringer from back when you rented all your in house equipment from Ma Bell. Cut the paint, open it up and see if it's still live. I'm betting not.

 

[alchemysa]

If it has bell inside its probably a telephone ringer extension. My Gran had one in her big old house. The phone was in the 'good room' but everyone was always in the kitchen at the other end of the house.

Or an early doorbell ringer.

 

[dcyrilc]

I'm thinking doorbell ringer.

 

[tallyho8]

When you enlarge the photo, it looks like a speaker cone inside it so I would guess it is an old one-way intercom but a door buzzer is a possibility.

 

[4runner]

I spoke to my daughter. She said the device was mounted on the wall with the "speaker" area on the top, so I "guessed" right on that.

She said that there was an intercom system in the house and in the same room was a control panel with a speaker and a microphone. So it seems unlikely that there was a second intercom speaker in the same room, but who knows. She also did not know if the wires from the item in the picture went to where the intercom control panel was. Next time I see her, I'll look and see if it is a speaker in the tin housing, but I agree it looks like one. If it was a Ma Bell device, would it have a speaker or a bell?

The flanged opening on the bottom is also interesting as to what it was for.

The whole idea that the purpose of this box is no longer readily known after only 50 years or so is fascinating. In its day, I'm sure it was common place. Now, not so much. Some other technology leapfrogged it.

 

[qball98]

My first thought was door bell ringer. It seems like I have seen one like it before but I would not want to bet money on it.

 

[forgeblast]

I think it may increase the volume of a telephone ring. i think my gram had one.