This "What's It" is a telegraph machine! (Well, part of one, anyway.)
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In 1844 Samuel F. B. Morse invented and sent the first message over a copper wire - the Telegraph.
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Even during the Civil War, news of the battles were posted daily at the Rochester Rail Station with up to the minute telegraph reporting from the nearest railroad station to the action.
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This device is believed to be a telegraph signal relay which amplifies the signal after long stretches of wire diminishes the strength of it. You might notice the fenced in electric transformer stations that do much the same task today to re-invigorate electric power transmission.
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We actually weren't sure what it was! But our first guesser, Dave Plant, had us going for a while wondering if something was wrong with his keyboard or if there was some kind of a Facebook glitch. Then it dawned on us, he was giving a hint in Morse Code! Awesome!
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We found a Morse Code translator online, too... with sound and everything! So we had a lot of fun with that, that was a good one!
https://morsecode.scphillips.com/translator.html