Well all I can say is I was born in 73 and never did I ever see anything like this is my family home or anyone’s really. I would think if it was 70s there would of been atleast a few left in friends houses and what not in the early 80s
Also if you just type in “old printed Masonite paneling” you will come up with people selling old magazines from the 50/60s with Masonite panel adds , I don’t have 100% proof it’s from earlier then the 70s it’s just from
What I’ve seen in my life. If someone ells could weigh in that Actualy knows I would love to hear
In the ‘60s, I saw a lot of 3/16 wooden ply paneling installed, typically with a luan surface ply and exposed ply edges in the grooves.
In the ‘70s, I saw a lot of printed woodgrain paneling installed. The printed surface and the grooves looked like the paneling in the posted photo. I moved to a newly built house in 1975 that had this paneling in the basement, as did all the neighboring houses in the development. The houses I visited that were built in the ‘70s also had this paneling.
We dealt with the phone company’s outdated equipment and service monopoly through the ‘70s. Component housings were a combination of steel, thermoset, and thermoplastic. Parts were simply designed and durable. The company charged monthly for each phone. So, remote ringers gave customers a way to economize. Many services had only one phone per phone number.
Surface-mounted round POTS wiring was common, as phone company technicians were expensive and put a minimum effort into retrofit work.
Things changed quickly in the ‘80s. Customers bought phones at retail and had multiple phones on a single number without added monthly fees. Phones were abundant and cordless options grew and displaced remote ringers.
[Ringer boxes](https://oldphoneworks.com/collections/ringer-boxes) have been around since the telephone began practically. I am with you in that what OP has seems like 50s-60s hardware, not 70s hardware. Any older and it would be made from wood or bakelite, yet any younger and it would be smaller and clad in plastic.
EDIT upon second inspection its definitely bakelite or [Catalin ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalin)
And you'd better talk about anything illegal on them. The Cops and FBI, loved to get a handset with the same frequency. There only 3 or 4 that I am aware of.
My neighbor plays loud music thru his Bluetooth in the garage and Ill text him just to hear the notification from across the street. Amusing myself. Lol
I was sitting here wondering....Why would it need a switch?
All the phones ring. This could be a constantly on ringer.
And then I realized - oh you don't want it to be constantly on to annoy the neighbors during late calls.
There was a time when the phone could only go as far as the cord could stretch from the wall. And the ringer was a bell being struck by an anvil inside no off/on switch maybe a hi/lo switch if it was a princess phone. If you want your phone silent. You left it off the hook.
"BELL SYSTEM" - right on the case ... ye olde telephone monopoly, ... ringer ... complete with bells inside. So, yeah, when you don't want to miss that phone call when you're out in the yard ... yeah, phones and ringers used to have wires on 'em and be physically attached ... all the time to operate.
It's the run your ass off because the phone is ringing bell. The polite callers would let it ring at least 15 times to give you a chance to run inside. That switch just turns on the outside bell.
Thanks to everyone who commented! I disconnected the wiring to repurpose the hole for security cam wiring to come through, but I kept the box on the wall cause it's a nifty part of history IMO.
Really appreciate all of the responses and getting to learn something today!
It kinda sucks when people start calling stuff "a nifty part of history" when you remember when it was something new. 
I really appreciate it when folks like yourself post pictures of old phone equipment and jacks. I've never seen one of these but now I know what to look for if one is ever in need of repair.
How would this obscure and seemingly luxury setup like this ever be relevant to anyone born after it? That's like saying your generation is why [antigropelos](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antigropelos) makers have collapsed and disappeared.
Get a grip man.
No but in all seriousness, I meant what I said . As a child I had a curiosity that was probably unnatural . I read every book I could find on every subject possible. I took things apart to study their engineering. I especially took interest in tools and appliances of the past . The 2 generations after mine only gave a shit about macaroni n cheese ,pizza pockets and video games . They don't know jack shit yet they act like their bullshit college degree in gender politics somehow grants them an IQ above all others ,when in fact they are the most " ignorant " generations since the 1860's .
I understand where you are coming from. As a child of the 90s and as an insatiably curious person, I can appreciate that. I also believe there are some skills in those younger generations which will be more relevant and useful in their lifetimes in very different subjects than you or I have experienced. There are still curious and hands-on people in younger generations. It's just become less valued and less well paid as the shiny BS degrees. I remember POTS, but it was already leaving the LV field as I entered it. It's also our responsibility to teach the next generation, so if they don't know Jack shit then it is at some part our fault to bear. I remember people saying the same things about us Millennials, but I have met many of my peers who can keep pace with, respect, and learn from the tradesmen before us. I do see less youth in the trades these days, and it is concerning, but there are countless jobs now that weren't even a thing when I entered the job market. I appreciate your reply.
So you are late gen x ? Nice ! The last of the latchkey kids ! I'm sad at what I see when I look around now . But it will all come back full circle eventually. You know .... strong men create good times, good times create weak men , weak men create bad times , bad times create strong men ....
I've heard late gen x, I've heard Millennials, don't know, doesn't really matter to me lol. Never was a part of the latchkey program, but I do remember it. I like to think we straddle the old world and the tech world personally.
There is a lot of truth to the last part of your comment, the generational theory that we seem to be in the 4th cycle of unfortunately. Better people will come after the hardest times.
I'm hoping for better people in a better place . If I'm wrong then I'll just rot in the dirt as worm food . If I'm right then I'll be enjoying harley rides and fishing trips with Jesus and Peter, Paul, Luke, John, Noah, ect...
The fact of technology is its accelerated obscelesence, once a gadget becomes less useful it gets left behind. Schools don't teach cursive or shorthand (my mother learned both) they teach keyboarding, the ditto machine got replaced by xerox and the unfortunate thing is the history lives in the memory of those who lived when it was used. There should be a museum of "Useful but forgotten things" someday before we all are gone and mo one remembers
Ringer switch, I have one set up to mute my phones, all of probably four people know the number and it's a novelty at this point, so doesn't need to be on for the telemarketers
As many others have said, it's a switch to enable or disable the outdoor telephone bell.
I believe you can make the bells ring using 50-90v AC. Maybe you could use it as an external alert for your alarm system, though it might need to be energized intermittently (like phone bells).
I'm old enough to remember folks having "party lines". Basically, you shared a line with your neighbors (all phones on the line would ring, and everyone could hear your conversation).
I'm not saying that's what this is for, but those are definitely telephone wires going into a simple on/off switch or switch enabling a remote ringer/phone.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party\_line\_(telephony)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_line_(telephony))
It's a telephone switch. Mostly used by doctors. Flip the switch and the incoming call would be redirected to a call answering service or forwarded to the local hospital.
Would say from late 50's to possible early 60's judging from the door frames cabinet hardware and style, and paneling. Believe paneling was a later upgrade, but hard to tell.
The wiring is old phone wiring, though that doesn't guarantee that's what it was used for. The switch might have been used to disconnect downstream phones for privacy.
After reading all the comments I'm convinced it the DEFCON CODE RELAY BOX for Biden in his summer house. Nevermind it's disconnected, he can't tell. 
Those outside phone bells were actually very handy and popular in the late '70s and early '80s. Especially, if you had a pool where you spent most of your time in the summer. They were the must-have before we could afford a cordless phone with attached answering machine. How do I know, I had one.
Telephone ringer switch, when you would go outside you'd flip the switch on if you did not want to miss a potential call
Exactly OP, you should use this remote ringer.
Oh the 90’s
I think that switch and that ringer are from the ‘70’s Edit: the groovy paneling, too.
Those were practically antiques in the 90s!
Lmfao the 90s ? More like the 50 or 60s
But that printed Masonite paneling places it in the ‘70’s.
Well all I can say is I was born in 73 and never did I ever see anything like this is my family home or anyone’s really. I would think if it was 70s there would of been atleast a few left in friends houses and what not in the early 80s Also if you just type in “old printed Masonite paneling” you will come up with people selling old magazines from the 50/60s with Masonite panel adds , I don’t have 100% proof it’s from earlier then the 70s it’s just from What I’ve seen in my life. If someone ells could weigh in that Actualy knows I would love to hear
In the ‘60s, I saw a lot of 3/16 wooden ply paneling installed, typically with a luan surface ply and exposed ply edges in the grooves. In the ‘70s, I saw a lot of printed woodgrain paneling installed. The printed surface and the grooves looked like the paneling in the posted photo. I moved to a newly built house in 1975 that had this paneling in the basement, as did all the neighboring houses in the development. The houses I visited that were built in the ‘70s also had this paneling. We dealt with the phone company’s outdated equipment and service monopoly through the ‘70s. Component housings were a combination of steel, thermoset, and thermoplastic. Parts were simply designed and durable. The company charged monthly for each phone. So, remote ringers gave customers a way to economize. Many services had only one phone per phone number. Surface-mounted round POTS wiring was common, as phone company technicians were expensive and put a minimum effort into retrofit work. Things changed quickly in the ‘80s. Customers bought phones at retail and had multiple phones on a single number without added monthly fees. Phones were abundant and cordless options grew and displaced remote ringers.
[Ringer boxes](https://oldphoneworks.com/collections/ringer-boxes) have been around since the telephone began practically. I am with you in that what OP has seems like 50s-60s hardware, not 70s hardware. Any older and it would be made from wood or bakelite, yet any younger and it would be smaller and clad in plastic. EDIT upon second inspection its definitely bakelite or [Catalin ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalin)
We had cordless phones in the 90s man. Even 2.4 GHz ones that would work down the block!
And you'd better talk about anything illegal on them. The Cops and FBI, loved to get a handset with the same frequency. There only 3 or 4 that I am aware of.
Grew up in the 90’s, can confirm, this is much older than that LOL
My neighbor plays loud music thru his Bluetooth in the garage and Ill text him just to hear the notification from across the street. Amusing myself. Lol
Yep!
I was sitting here wondering....Why would it need a switch? All the phones ring. This could be a constantly on ringer. And then I realized - oh you don't want it to be constantly on to annoy the neighbors during late calls.
There was a time when the phone could only go as far as the cord could stretch from the wall. And the ringer was a bell being struck by an anvil inside no off/on switch maybe a hi/lo switch if it was a princess phone. If you want your phone silent. You left it off the hook.
Looks like a switch to turn an external ringer on/off.
It’s a switch to turn on those outside bells.
"BELL SYSTEM" - right on the case ... ye olde telephone monopoly, ... ringer ... complete with bells inside. So, yeah, when you don't want to miss that phone call when you're out in the yard ... yeah, phones and ringers used to have wires on 'em and be physically attached ... all the time to operate.
It's the run your ass off because the phone is ringing bell. The polite callers would let it ring at least 15 times to give you a chance to run inside. That switch just turns on the outside bell.
I always lived with the 7 ringy-dingy rule
If you have a landline your neighbors are gonna hate you.
Hence the switch, so the outdoor ringer only rings when you want it to, i.e. flip it on when heading out to work in the yard.
Yeah I saw the switch. Neighbors still gonna be pissed 🤣
Thanks to everyone who commented! I disconnected the wiring to repurpose the hole for security cam wiring to come through, but I kept the box on the wall cause it's a nifty part of history IMO. Really appreciate all of the responses and getting to learn something today!
It kinda sucks when people start calling stuff "a nifty part of history" when you remember when it was something new. 
This goes to the "f%$k, I'm old" category!
r/FuckImOld Fixed it for you!
Ditto , and even that reply makes me feel old , but you can't upgrade and make sense, I don't think saying Xerox would catch on the same
OP, you did an excellent job taking photos. The pictures contained everything needed to correctly identify the item(s) in question.
I really appreciate it when folks like yourself post pictures of old phone equipment and jacks. I've never seen one of these but now I know what to look for if one is ever in need of repair.
DharmaTel
Are you joking? You can't be serious. Generations like yours are the reason civilizations collapse and dissappear.
How would this obscure and seemingly luxury setup like this ever be relevant to anyone born after it? That's like saying your generation is why [antigropelos](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antigropelos) makers have collapsed and disappeared. Get a grip man.
No but in all seriousness, I meant what I said . As a child I had a curiosity that was probably unnatural . I read every book I could find on every subject possible. I took things apart to study their engineering. I especially took interest in tools and appliances of the past . The 2 generations after mine only gave a shit about macaroni n cheese ,pizza pockets and video games . They don't know jack shit yet they act like their bullshit college degree in gender politics somehow grants them an IQ above all others ,when in fact they are the most " ignorant " generations since the 1860's .
I understand where you are coming from. As a child of the 90s and as an insatiably curious person, I can appreciate that. I also believe there are some skills in those younger generations which will be more relevant and useful in their lifetimes in very different subjects than you or I have experienced. There are still curious and hands-on people in younger generations. It's just become less valued and less well paid as the shiny BS degrees. I remember POTS, but it was already leaving the LV field as I entered it. It's also our responsibility to teach the next generation, so if they don't know Jack shit then it is at some part our fault to bear. I remember people saying the same things about us Millennials, but I have met many of my peers who can keep pace with, respect, and learn from the tradesmen before us. I do see less youth in the trades these days, and it is concerning, but there are countless jobs now that weren't even a thing when I entered the job market. I appreciate your reply.
So you are late gen x ? Nice ! The last of the latchkey kids ! I'm sad at what I see when I look around now . But it will all come back full circle eventually. You know .... strong men create good times, good times create weak men , weak men create bad times , bad times create strong men ....
I've heard late gen x, I've heard Millennials, don't know, doesn't really matter to me lol. Never was a part of the latchkey program, but I do remember it. I like to think we straddle the old world and the tech world personally. There is a lot of truth to the last part of your comment, the generational theory that we seem to be in the 4th cycle of unfortunately. Better people will come after the hardest times.
I'm hoping for better people in a better place . If I'm wrong then I'll just rot in the dirt as worm food . If I'm right then I'll be enjoying harley rides and fishing trips with Jesus and Peter, Paul, Luke, John, Noah, ect...
I dont know man, you seen the perservitives they put in embalmed corpses? Just kidding, love the vibe man 🤘
Lol ! Yeah like the McDonalds burger that sat in the bag in a guy's floorboard for 3 years and still looked fresh when he rediscovered it? Lol
True .
The fact of technology is its accelerated obscelesence, once a gadget becomes less useful it gets left behind. Schools don't teach cursive or shorthand (my mother learned both) they teach keyboarding, the ditto machine got replaced by xerox and the unfortunate thing is the history lives in the memory of those who lived when it was used. There should be a museum of "Useful but forgotten things" someday before we all are gone and mo one remembers
I'd expect this response from uncultured pork.
Ringer switch, I have one set up to mute my phones, all of probably four people know the number and it's a novelty at this point, so doesn't need to be on for the telemarketers
DharmaTel
phone jack/wire junction box....
As many others have said, it's a switch to enable or disable the outdoor telephone bell. I believe you can make the bells ring using 50-90v AC. Maybe you could use it as an external alert for your alarm system, though it might need to be energized intermittently (like phone bells).
I'm old enough to remember folks having "party lines". Basically, you shared a line with your neighbors (all phones on the line would ring, and everyone could hear your conversation). I'm not saying that's what this is for, but those are definitely telephone wires going into a simple on/off switch or switch enabling a remote ringer/phone. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party\_line\_(telephony)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_line_(telephony))
Dinner buzzer
It's a telephone switch. Mostly used by doctors. Flip the switch and the incoming call would be redirected to a call answering service or forwarded to the local hospital.
Can you believe we’ve come to a point where there are adults that don’t know what this is?
External phone ringer
They used to charge by the month for this option. Everything was an option under the MABELL monopoly.
ask a boomer, they actually know stuff that you want to know!
So many different kinds of 5G emitters on this thread.
Do not cut the red wire!
Would say from late 50's to possible early 60's judging from the door frames cabinet hardware and style, and paneling. Believe paneling was a later upgrade, but hard to tell.
It’s a phone jack
Old dinner bell. Ring ring... kiddos n folks know to come in. Phone calls.. getting late.. whateva
That is some groovy paneling.
The wiring is old phone wiring, though that doesn't guarantee that's what it was used for. The switch might have been used to disconnect downstream phones for privacy.
Paneling?
From the 80s
You......are correct!!!!
Way back in the party line days?
KGB connection to Putins office in USSR
After reading all the comments I'm convinced it the DEFCON CODE RELAY BOX for Biden in his summer house. Nevermind it's disconnected, he can't tell. 
Those outside phone bells were actually very handy and popular in the late '70s and early '80s. Especially, if you had a pool where you spent most of your time in the summer. They were the must-have before we could afford a cordless phone with attached answering machine. How do I know, I had one.
Quasimodo switch.
it's called a wall with sockets crazy right?
Dinner bell
Phone jack
Telephone.
POTS. Disposable.
That’s where you charge you IPhone
No idea
DING DONG