The latter was a terminal box for telephone subscriber connections. Note the neat N.E.T. & T. Co. stenciled lettering on it with box's number ID. I wonder how many (if any) of these survived?

These boxes were followed by metal enclosures for making connections. Among the earliest ones that I recall were round, cylindrical and galvanized steel with a pointed top. All were within NET&T Co. territory around Boston and its suburbs. The service person would pull up the round cover to access the connections which were mounted on insulated vertical bars. The cover had a chain on it so it would not drop from the pole while it was open. These "cans" were approximately 8 inches in diameter and 16 inches high. All the wiring entered through the bottom. I haven't seen one of these in over 20 years.