I found a Kent Drums catelog from 1907 that had a very similar drum. It is called a single head orchestra snare. The concept behind the single head is to save space by packing other percussion equipment inside of the drum. However, the drum is only 3 inches deep. People must have been really hard up for space back in the day. I'm still looking for concrete evidence of it's origins and value. It's in amazing condition and looks really cool set up behind a music stand and sheet music from the era. Thanks to everyone who responded to my original post. I can't believe I didn't get on this site sooner.