Historical Museum

Fun and Games at the General Store

Have you played video games while shopping at the mall or the local grocery store?

The general store was an important gathering place in many early communities and small towns. People stopped to visit with friends and neighbors and catch up with news. Sometimes they gathered to play games like cards and checkers.

The checkerboard above is set up on a barrel ready to play. The checkers are made of painted wood. The checkerboard is made of pasteboard and paper and can be folded in half like a book and put away on a shelf. The 2-inch spine on the "book" says Evening at Home. On the inside, there is a backgammon board. A checkers set like this one cost about $2.25 and had a shaker, dice, and checkers.

Do you know how to play checkers?