I love the Brewster at Play exhibit! Covid quarantine has brought back many of the games we used to play. On display are many games but my favorite is the delicately carved Jackstraws game. ~ BHS Docent, Cobb House Museum
Hand-Carved Jackstraws
The c. 1890s game of Jackstraws is similar to today’s game of pick-up-sticks. Wooden “straws” shaped like farming implements are spread onto a table and players try to remove them one-by-one without disturbing the other straws. In addition to the jackstraws there is a “helper” piece with a hooked edge to help move the sticks about. Each stick has a point value (penciled onto it), one stick having faces on it; perhaps the most coveted one, for it indicates a point value of “50.” At game’s end, the player with the highest point tally wins.
On loan from Stephen and Diane Jones
Parlor games were extremely popular among the upper and middle classes in Great Britain and in the United States during the Victorian era. Having more leisure time than people of previous generations led to the creation of a variety of parlor games. Boxed parlor games were very popular from around 1920 until into the 1960s. Parlor games competed for attention with the mass media, radio, movies, and television. Though decreased in popularity, parlor games continue to be played. Many parlor games involve logic or word-play. Some also involve dramatic skill, such as in charades. Most do not require any equipment beyond what would be available in a typical parlor.