OK, OK, here's the story.

[Linked Image] THIS WAS IN THE DETATCHED GARAGE AT MY HOUSE WHEN I MOVED IN! [Linked Image]

(Sorry for shouting.)

Can you believe it? No, there was not an extender on the box. There was a duplex switch (am I using the correct term) on the right--a switch over a switch. To the left was a 3-way. This whole mess follows underground back to the house where the second 3-way switch is located.

There also had been a duplex receptacle further down the line, which had a strange characteristic: Plugging in a device in the top receptacle disabled the bottom one.

When I opened up the device, I found some spider eggs in there. I wonder if that had something to do with it.

Yes, it does appear that somebody spent quite some time putting it all together.

Here's how it was grounded:

[Linked Image from 65.108.216.53]

It appears to me that the bare wire is of a smaller gauge than the others.