Visible crew/equipment: While Andy and Otis are talking about women Barney opens the door and rushes into the courthouse, and behind him we can see a crew member's hand (looks like a woman wearing bracelets) catching the door as Barney swings it shut.
Continuity mistake: After Frankie pays for the chewing tobacco in the drugstore, in the next closeup of Ellie the cigar box on the shelf behind her has black lines scribbled over all its identifying brand names (which is Van Dyck 43's), but when Frankie walks out the door, in Ellie's next semi-closeup that cigar box is unmarked again.
Visible crew/equipment: At the Scobey house, after Ben sits in the unstable chair and it breaks, when Andy and the Scobeys rush over to him we can see the two curved chalk actor's marks on the floor, where Ben had been standing moments before.
Continuity mistake: While Andy and Barney are trying to sell the town cannon, when they're talking to the shop owner who's seated in the rocking chair we can see the area between the squad car and storefront, with various items for sale, but in the next shot the covered cannon has suddenly appeared - and it's tall enough to have been in view in the previous shot had it actually have been there.
A Plaque for Mayberry - S1-E25
Visible crew/equipment: While everyone's waiting for Otis to arrive at the plaque presentation in Mayor Pike's office, after Andy admits to the mayor that he asked the real Otis to show up, it cuts to the mayor walking behind his desk, and we can see the chalk T-mark on the floor where Mrs. Bixby stands.
Runaway Kid - S1-E6
Visible crew/equipment: After Andy talks to George's father on the phone, he gets up and stands near the fireplace while explaining to Opie why he broke his promise and called George's father, and when Opie's on the couch asking if he can run off sometime, we can see the white tape mark on the rug where Andy was standing moments ago.
Visible crew/equipment: After Barney tells Andy that the stranger may be a foreign spy Ed Sawyer walks into the courthouse, and behind him a crew member's hand can be seen catching the door just as the door closes.
Visible crew/equipment: While waiting for Barney to show up at the surprise party, Opie looks out the window and spots Barney, then when Aunt Bee and Thelma Lou take their places we can see both actors' marks on the floor - the chalk T-mark and the curved chalk mark.
Visible crew/equipment: After Ellie and Andy are turned away by Flint, when they walk back into the courthouse while Barney's lifting the chair, the chalk T-mark is visible on the floor.
Visible crew/equipment: After Opie tells Ellie everything that Andy told Aunt Bee, Ellie tells Opie that she's on the trail of a baboon, and when it cuts to the next shot of Ellie coming down the stairs we can see the chalk T-mark on the floor where she stands.
Continuity mistake: After Ellie tells the Taylors that she's withdrawing as candidate, when she and Andy head over to the rally at the hotel they pass the church, and in the long shot a large sign has suddenly appeared at the front of the church.
Visible crew/equipment: While Andy and Barney are standing beside Bobby Fleet's vehicle, Andy mentions that it's too bad they're all not staying overnight so they could hear Jim play, and when it cuts to the next shot we can see the reflection of the overhead boom pole and mic moving on the surface of the vehicle.
Mayberry Goes Hollywood - S1-E13
Visible crew/equipment: When Andy sees that several stores have made 'Hollywood' changes and then walks past the two men wearing suits, it cuts to Andy walking up to 'Hollywood funerals' and we can see the reflection of a crew member pushing the camera dolly with other crew members.
Visible crew/equipment: After Aunt Bee plants the seeds of suspicion in Andy's mind about the shoe salesman, when Andy and Barney cross the street the reflection of the moving boom mic is visible on their squad's windshield, just as Andy walks off to the hotel.
Visible crew/equipment: When the men have the misconception that Wilbur is a TV show talent scout, while they're at the barber shop talking about it, just as Floyd moves his legs to get up from the barber chair we can see the white T-mark at Jason's feet.
Visible crew/equipment: While Floyd's napping in the barber chair, Andy's reading the newspaper, and when Barney walks in the actor's two curved chalk marks are visible on the floor, where he will stand.
Andy and the Gentleman Crook - S1-E21
Continuity mistake: After Gentleman Dan has taken Barney's gun, Aunt Bee, Opie, and Andy walk in on his attempted escape, and when Barney leaves the jail cell his badge inexplicably vanishes and reappears.
Andy and the Gentleman Crook - S1-E21
Visible crew/equipment: When Aunt Bee is in the kitchen preparing to take a tray of food to the prisoner she momentarily walks out of the kitchen through the swinging door. As she pushes the door open, a crew member's hand and arm can be seen behind the door.
Visible crew/equipment: When Barney and Floyd are spying on Sam while he's getting groceries, we can see both of the grocery store's windows and its clear glass, but when Sam drives off the left display window has been covered with a matte dulling spray resulting in an uneven matte surface, to prevent the camera and crew's reflections.
Visible crew/equipment: At the end when Aunt Bea enters the courthouse, she doesn't close the door completely. You can see a hand from outside grab the door, and close it very slowly. (00:23:20)
Answer: As noted in the previous answers, in real life, things like this provided wind and/or rain deflection, and also maintained a bit of privacy when blinds were raised somewhat. The interior courthouse set was located in the studio, so the "outside" Main Street didn't exist. I believe these things were added to the courthouse windows for practicality, to avoid some crew movement being visible on the opposite side of those windows. These are not "window boxes" to hold anything, as they're actually bottomless; we can see the Venetian blind's long pull cords under them. They're made of plywood and simple to build, so the "material and labor" was inexpensive. Similar variations made of different materials are in other movies/shows. In 1957's "12 Angry Men," textured chicken wire glass panels are in the jury room windows, and in "Jesse Stone: Night Passage" another type is in Jesse's office windows.
Super Grover ★