The "King" of Desks

 This is the Wooton Desk on display in the former law library in The 1852 Alabama Capitol Building

"Wooton: The King of Desks manufactured in Indianapolis, Indiana 1874-1897. This desk is the Standard Grade, with handsome green drawers As you can see in the photo images, the wings on the desk fold shut. A lock on the front kept the contents secure. What might not be obvious to you is that of those two little racetrack shapes visible above the main panel of each face, the one on the left was a spring-loaded hinged door that allowed your officemates to drop mail off after you’d left for the day:

“One hundred and ten compartments, all under one lock and key,” read a newspaper advertisement of the era. “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

“The Wooton Desk is a most highly prized example of Victorian Furniture. No other example of furniture from the Victorian era is probably more highly sought after.” Notable owners of Wooton Desk – Queen Victoria, President Ulysses Grant, John D. Rockefeller , Joseph Pulitzer, Jay Gould, Charles Scribner and the Smithsonian Institution."

You'll find one for sale ($24,500) at this website.