Colonial Games – From 1620 to 1770

By Bryant A. Jones Class7A3-ID1

Source: http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Christmas04/images/toys_engraving.jpg

Tabletop Ninepins This game was created by the Dutch settlers that

came to the Hudson River Valley in the 17th century. It consisted of nine wooden pins that stood in a

triangle with a wooden ball. Tabletop Ninepins was great pastime game for

colonial children and adults. Today the game has developed into a tenpins game

that is played in a bowling ally. Nine- pin is “a bottle shaped pin used in

ninepins a game played by bowling at nine such pins set up in a pattern” as explained in The Webster’s Dictionary.

Nine Men Morris Nine Men Morris consisted of nine

pieces of acorns or rocks and was played in the dirt by children.

This was another game created by the colonial Dutch settlers.

It was also a good way for children to relax when they weren’t working with their parents.

Jacob’s Ladder It was a folk toy which means it was made

especially for children to learn about the bible.

The toy is biblical because the name of it came from Genesis (28:12) in the bible.

It was made around the time of the Puritans (A group that came to America for religious freedom).

Jacob’s Ladder was created with 6 blocks covered in red or green ribbons.

Jacks This game has been played for over

2000 years. It consists of 5 jack stones and 1

rubber or wooden ball. There are 2 form of the game (the

original and the modern). In the original form of Jacks the

stones used were thrown in the air, but in the modern version you collect the stones.

Rolling the Hoop Consisted of a wooden hoop and a

stick. The objective was to keep the hoop

going while you spun the hoop with the stick.

The bigger the stick you had, the easier it was to spin the hoop.

This game was made especially for little children because they also used the hoop for ho-lo-hooping fun.

Fox & Geese It was a peg game that consisted of

a board with 33 holes and 21 pegs. One peg symbolizes the fox and the

other symbolizes the geese. The pegs were all placed in a little

sack so they weren’t misplaced.

Tops This game was a great leisure time

for adults and kids in colonial times. It consisted of a wooden tops and

string. The objective of the game was to

see which person could make his or her top spin the longest.

There were more than three versions to the game in colonial period.

This game was made around the 16th century by the English.

Marbles Could be made out of stones, clay,

and glass. The glass marbles were very

expensive during the colonial times. Can be played in many different

games. The original version was to knockout

the opponent’s marbles with yours.

Buzzers The original name for this toy was in

the beginning English language . It was used around the time in the

early 1686. This toy was also where the phrase “

you were buzz sawing” comes from. It was made of the solid wood and

string.

Graces This game was made around the

early 1800s. It was mainly played by boys in dirt

trails. The objective is to run up to your

opponent and to hit his or her stick with your Gracer.

Gracers were sticks tied with tin tread and string. The strings were rapped around the stick in a knot to keep the treads from being disconnected.

URL Sources and Book Quotes http://www.historylives.com/toysandgames.htm:

Tabletop Ninepins http://www.ssdsbergen.org/Colonial/games.htm:

Nine Men Morris The New Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary Of

The English Language: Nine- pin, a bottle shaped pin used in ninepins a game played by bowling at nine such pins set up in a pattern.