Some kind of old electical switch?

[daveoster]

I dug this up near Lake Superior (Minnesota) this past weekend. The 4 holes in the front have screws in them which are part of screw terminals on the back. In the front view I tried to show that one of the contacts extends beyond the edge a bit. There is also another on the bottom. it has a diameter of 2". I wasen't sure if it was part of an old rotary switch or from telephone/telegraph equipment. It looks pretty old. This was not far from where I dug up a 1912 dime.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

canopy mount for a ceiling lamp...

 

[daveoster]

Thank you!

 

[vhs07]

I'd like to know what it is also. 2" seems way too small for a canopy mount, and there's no mounting holes.

 

[Sheldon J]

2" early phone wiring connector?

 

[old digger]

It looks like an old switch (on/off). There would have been a rotating knob that fit in the hole, and there were connectors that made contact as you turned the missing knob.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I was leaning towards antique door buzzer

 

[old digger]

This is what I thinking of.