The Governor's New Office Table

The inmates and staffer of the Westville Correctional Facility created an impressive handicraft of a 16-foot-long office conference table which shows the outline of Indiana state, complete with its 92 counties. The tabletop also includes a 3-foot-diameter glass topped image of medallions of the state's seal, and the image of the state flag.

This impressive piece of office furniture, which was built in a prison carpentry shop, was a fusion of different wood types but it managed to execute a unified look.

The table is now proudly showcased at Indiana Governor Mitch Daniel's office, where he flaunted the handiwork of the inmates a week after it was delivered in late June. The Governor even gamely posed for photos beside the new office table with the officials from the Indiana Department of Correction.

The table was a request by the Department of Correction's Commissioner J. David Donahue. A Westville staffer led eight inmates who have reportedly worked on the table for an estimated 2,000 hours.

“When Dave told me he would have a new table made for the office, I wouldn't have dreamed it could be something like this,” Gov. Daniels said. “It's the most beautiful piece of furniture I've ever seen, and the craftsmanship is second to none.”

According to the officials, the cherry, oak, tulip poplar, walnut, white pine and spalted maple trees all came from the grounds of the medium-security prison which was located at 30 miles west of South Bend. The table was designed by Alex McEarthon, a carpenter who has been serving the prison system for about 14 years already.

At the rate of popularity that this beautiful table is going, the Westville Correctional might just be the newest office furniture maker in town. The idea to commission the inmates to explore their craft in grandiose table or even in practical office furniture-types will give them another chance to pick their life up where they last left it.