Hi! I found this little wooden box on a recent antiquing trip in GA. I've never seen anything like this before so I picked it up. Unfortunately somebody sadly decided to turn it into a bank and crudely made a cut through the metal plate on the top. The plate only has the partial name on there that says Hall and Signal Co (but I checked online and there was a company named Hall Switch and Signal Co). There are four perfectly aligned circular holes in the front and a circular hole (with a removable plug) on the bottom. Does anyone have any idea as to what this might have originally been used for or how old it might be? Thanks for your time! :-)

I'm gonna say it's a battery box for an old crank telephone..... Room for 2 dry cells inside....
The battery boxes mounted on top of the phone box.

Hall Switch and Signal Company of Garwood, NJ (Inventor of the Hall Banjo and the Searchlight Signal,also built the first B&O RR cpl signals) was bought out by Union Switch and Signal Co. in 1925.
Your wooden box appears to be part of a telephone system and was used as a JACK BOX for plugging in.

Kevin K.

Correct Kevin.

And as Hall equipment is so rare, it breaks the heart.

JK

Thanks so much for your responses. I really appreciate it. It's a pretty neat box so I'm going to leave it as-is. Wish I had a way of fixing that name plate though :-(

If you could fix it, then you would be facing the same question about altering the historic fabric of the artifact that affects us all.

This is a replica switch box I made for the IRM's signal department. It is in the old station office and is used to switch the key to several different lines via the shorted 1/4” plug.
Western electric patch jacks and plugs are still available, even new. The 3-conductor version in use at many telephone and broadcast facilities.
The jacks in your box were attached with a flat head machine screw from the face.

This is a replica switch box I made for the IRM's signal department. It is in the old station office and is used to switch the key to several different lines via the shorted 1/4” plug.
Western electric patch jacks and plugs are still available, even new. The 3-conductor version in use at many telephone and broadcast facilities.
The jacks in your box were attached with a flat head machine screw from the face.