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Pete Myers with a load of Crokinole Boards (See photo of boards below) |
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Note from Joyce: Since neither Tim nor I knew what the game was, I asked the Tri-County mail list subscribers and got the following answers:
Crokinole is a game board that has two sides. One side is for checkers,
which is what looks like the picture shows. The other side was for
crokinole where you shot crokinoles into the center of the board eliminating
your opponents crokinole and gaining points in the mean time. We still
play crokinole at family get togethers, and I have two boards. There are
at least 28 pieces, two different colors. It is a family game
that we have played for years.
Janet PETERS Ordway
Dear Joyce, I remember learning to spell it back in the 1930's--- the board we had spelled it croquinole and I had a hard time getting it right. As I recall, it was related to checkers but guess it got left behind somewhere. My dictionary doesn't have it in either spelling. Bet your parents will remember it ! Melva C.
I see that "crokinole" is a board game - apparently still made by the
Pichenotte Game Board Company.
Robin Lawrence Poses
Yes crokinole is a board game of years gone by. I remember playing
this game when I was a kid with my grandfather every time I visited him.
I purchased an original board at a flea market a couple years ago, but
unfortunately the game disks were not included. There is a place
I believe in Ohio that refurbishes the boards and also sells replacement
game disks. The object of the game was to get your disks closest
to the center of the board. You were also trying to knock your opponent
away.
Connie SIMS Petris
When I was a kid at home, we had a crokinole game. The board is
probably about 2 1/2 to 3 foot square. It had pockets in all four
corners (holes cut with net type baskets). The game pieces were round
wooden disks with the centers cut out. They were probably about and
inch across and 1/2 an inch high. They were green and red.
The shooters were white and you snapped the shooter with your finger to
try to knock your color disks in the holes. The first one to get
all their disks in the holes won. You took turns shooting.
If you got one in, you got another turn. The squares on the board
were so that you could use the same pieces to play checkers. The
board we had is probably still at my mothers. It was a fun game,
but you had to have tough fingernails or it hurt like crazy when you snapped
them.
Elaine Frey
Now that you have described the board Elaine, I was playing that
game last night at Family Night at the Shortsville Baptist Church.
It reminded me a lot like pool except you snapped the white rings with
your fingers. And you are right, it does hurt if you don't really
know how to snap right.
Bradley G. Rice
Knoxville, PA
Dear young Joyce,
Been there, done that.
Old Granny Fay
Ok,Ok,I admit I played the game, flip red or green rings into a basket on a board,but for the life of me I can't think of another name other than Caroms.R
Hi Joyce, My mother used to play this game and in fact had one when
she was a kid. I got one for her at an auction a few years ago but she
said it wasnt exactly
like she remembered and it was incomplete with no pieces or instructions.
I cant remember how she said it was played but I will contact her. She
will be
excited as no one else seeems to remember this game but her!
Debby
The crokinole board often has multiple games on it. In the one shown on Joyce's website checkers and backgammon are on one side and crokinole is on the other. The same setup is true of carom boards. Caroms is similar to crokinole but not the same. Many of us who grew up in the fifties and sixties are more familiar with the inexpensive mass-produced carom boards. Many of the boards came with miniature pool cues. Using the cues to shoot caroms was much easier on the fingernails. I am sending Joyce a picture of a carom board. Ray Justus.
Hi Joyce,
I'm going to type out an article from the Rocket-Courier regarding crokinole boards. I tried to scan and send it that way, but due to my copy being in blue ink, I had to cancel the e-mail after 10 minutes. It was just going to take too long to send. I think Bradford County Historical Society has this newspaper on microfilm - next time I go there I will try to get a copy for you.
Rocket-Courier, Thursday, September 8, 1977 Near LeRaysville: Hauling Checker-Crokinole Boards at Johnson Mill
( The same photo as on your site is illustrated here)
LeRaysville Factory Turned out Thousands of Popular Post-Civil War Game Boards; Some Still in Use
This Photo dates back to 1908 and shows Peter N. Myers, of LeRaysville, driving this team and wagon on the creamery hill near LeRaysville.
The teamster was driving for the Arthur Johnson and Son Furniture Company, then located and flourishing in LeRaysville. One popular item made by the company, and sold by the thousands, were crokinole boards. These game boards were made to play crokinole on one side and checkers on the other. The checkered side in this picture, exposed to the outside of the packing cases and no doubt considered the less valuable of the two game-board sides.
In the background can be seen some Holstein cows grazing and a split log fence made from the original hemlock forests found in the area when the land was originally cleared some 100 years previous to this photo.
The photo is loaned by Mrs. Elizabeth Tuthill, R. D. 1, Rome, PA, and was originally published on a postal card.
Joyce, on page 167 of the 1995 History of Bradford County, there is
a picture of the Johnson Furniture Factory in LeRaysville. On page
168, there is mention of
the crokinole game.
Hope you will find this information helpful....
-Carolyn Russell
Rome, PA
dcrusl@sosbbs.com
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| The board at right is the Carom board photo sent in by Ray Justus - See note above. |  |
More Comments from Crokinole devotees who have found this page:
Subj: 1908 Crokinole Postcard
Date: 08/21/2001 4:06:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: gazette@tavistock.on.ca (William Gladding)
To: JoyceTice@aol.com
Dear Joyce
I'm sure you are unaware of our organization so I would like to introduce you to the World Crokinole Championship which is held in Tavistock, Ontario, Canada the first Saturday in June each year. June 1, 2002 will mark our fourth annual event with over 350 participants at our 2001 tournament. The Lagasse Brothers of the Pichenotte Game Board Co. were involved with our tournament the first year and are friends of the tournament organizers. They made us aware of your site. Please go to www.worldcrokinole.com to view our site.
I am writing to ask if we may put a link to your site on our history page so that others can read about this postcard's history. There may be more photos out there that can be shared.
Kindest regards,
Bill Gladding, publicity
World Crokinole Championship
Box 988, Tavistock, Ontario, Canada
N0B 2R0
P.S. Like you, we are a group of volunteers in our community.
Hello Joyce,
My name is Wayne Kelly.
I wrote a book on crokinole back in 1988, and am writing a new one at the moment.
I am familiar with all three boards you have shown on your site.
The Pennsylvania board is typical. I know of dozens that exist.
The stencil used for the checkerboard--with backgammon points around it--is
a definate indicator of the manufacturer. The other two boards are
as follows: The item from e-bay: is a Munro Games, Burlington,
Ontario
item Model # CW-3 manufactured in 1958 (likely; although I'd have to
see reverse side to date with certainty). The last one is a square
Carrom Company, Ludington, MI board, likely Model # 85, c.1960.
During the past 15 years I have had more than 2,500 antique & vintage boards pass through my hands. I'd be pleased to help you find any further info. on your game questions. Just give me a shout. Possibly there may be some points of historical interest on my site. Check http://www.crokinole.com
My friends, Dave & Norm Lagasse (Santa Fe - Pichenotte Game Board Company) forwarded the picture & info. to me. Just a further thought on the Carrom Company. My close friend, Brian Lonsway (Ohio) is presently writing a history of that company with many details on American crokinole. Hoping it will be out next spring. We worked together on the project just a couple of weeks ago. Think there are several LeRaysville boards in his collection at the moment.
I know that both Brian & I would be interested in the possibility
of obtaining a clear copy of the photo to use in our books. This
incredible game is experiencing a wonderful revival. Check http://www.worldcrokinole.com
We started the world championships here a few years ago. Very successful
event now, and drawing players from
all over the world. More on that later, if it is of interest
to you.
Get back to me if I may offer more assistance.
Very kind regards,
Wayne Kelly
Joyce
By the way, I just went back and read all of the posting on the Crokinole
Board game and the photo of my Great Grandfather, Peter Nathaniel Myers
- my dad's grandfather, whom he never knew. Peter Myers died in 1920.
Mrs. Elizabeth Tuthill, as mentioned by Carolyn Russell was my father's
Aunt. We called her Aunt Libby. I will never forget her, she
was a wonderful older lady when I knew her, during the 1960's and 1970's.
In fact I was given her portable 78, wind-up record player by one of dad's
cousins. This cousin also sent me an original copy of the Rocket-Courier
article since the photo was of her grandfather too.
Anyway what a great job you have continued to do with your site. It is really awesome - the best on the net.
Thanks for all of your work.
Tim Myers
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