The Games People Played…A look at a few pastimes from past times.

A chest in the Homestead attic holds a number of gaming items that undoubtedly belonged to Stephen Mather’s father, Joseph Wakeman Mather, and date to the beginning of the last century.

CRIBBAGE appears to have been a popular diversion. In the chest was a large metal cribbage board marked “John Gill’s Improved Cribbage Board.” More interestingly, there was also a pocket cribbage set embossed “JM.” The covers become the board and included are pegs as well as a deck of cards.

There was also a MAH-JONGG set with a carrying case. Quite possibly, the tiles were made of bone dove-tailed with bamboo, a popular way of making mah-jongg tiles at the time. Many of the tiles have deteriorated but still make an interesting display item.

Finally, there was a small wooden egg, and in the egg, a set of miniature DOMINOS tiles.

Like many attic discoveries, these items give us visible reminders that the Homestead was indeed a family home generation upon generation.