Very similar to the King camera made by Rochester Camera Mfg. Co., this camera is distinguished by the direction of the springs on the back (two springs facing the other two, rather than all being in the same direction) and brass pieces on the side of the camera. This is a very large camera, though it could be folded if it were in better condition. On this particular camera, the bellows are ripped in a few places. Pictures it took would have been with glass plates, not film.

The Rexo 1A, manufactured between 1916 and 1931, was positioned as a lower-price alternative to the Kodak Autographic popular at the time. This camera folds into a rectangular shape for travel and storage, and uses 2.5/4.5 inch film. The lens is a F7-5 Rexo Anastigmat F 5 1/4 in lens, and it has an Ilex shutter.

Leeds and Northrup bench-top galvanometer

DC Voltmeter 0.0 to 7.5 Volts Cat. No. 3057K, Serial No. 37257

Leeds and Northrup bench-top galvanometer Cat. No. 2500 F Serial No. 74215

Invented by Michael Faraday in 1831, his Faraday disk showed the connection between electricity and magnetism by producing an electric current between the center of the disk and its rim as the disk is rotated by a hand crank. The disk center and rim are connected to the terminals, the rim via a mercury bath on the base. The copper rim passes through the bath. This Faraday disk is a demonstration motor. With a battery or DC power supply connected to the terminals, the disk rotates due to the force on the moving charges produced by the magnetic field from the horseshoe magnet. We no longer use this demonstration to avoid possible mercury vapor emission due to electrical sparks at the copper-mercury connection.

This is a transit (a surveying tool) made by W. & L.E. Gurley between 1893 and 1901, most likely belonging to Professor Samuel J. Buck, who was county surveyor for 21 years and taught classes on surveying at Grinnell college. This transit is a fancy model, and so is unlikely to be a student tool. The dating is based off of "The Complete Guide to Early W. & L.E. Gurley Transits" by Brian Aregood. The most significant features in dating it are the position of the lower clamping knob (introduced 1893), and lack of a dust-proof objective side of the telescope, which became standard in 1901.