Editor’s note: The Ludington Daily News posted a story on Nov. 24, 2022 announcing that, according to the Carrom Company’s Facebook page, its once-popular Carrom boards (and Nok Hockey) will no longer be manufactured. A quick check online confirmed the news. This Freshwater Reporter story about the Carrom board, (originally titled, “Once the only game in town”), appeared in our April 2020 print edition.
ABOVE: This customized Carrom board was hand-painted by, and available for sale in 2020 at, Grateful Heart and Home in Ludington. Photo by P. Stinson.
By Mark Videan
LUDINGTON – Last month, I found myself transfixed by a display in the shop window of Grateful Heart and Home. There, in bright red and black on pale wood, were two lovely Carrom boards ⸺ a sight I had not seen in decades.
My brothers and I had received one for Christmas when I was 10 or 11. Many rainy days were spent playing the dozens of possible games the Carrom board provided. We loved using the mini cue sticks, just the right size for our small statures, to shoot colored rings into the four corner-pocket nets. It was our inexpensive version of a pool table. The board came with instructions for around 100 games. We tried many, played our favorites repeatedly, and invented new ones.
I entered the store to take a closer look. The boards and game pieces were mainly as I remembered them, with small changes. I was surprised to see they were made right in Ludington. I was intrigued and decided to do some research.
The history of U.S. Carrom boards
In 1883, at the age of 20, Henry L. Haskell, a businessman in Ludington, had established a basket factory in the city. This became the Ludington Novelty Company in 1889, producing a variety of items, including games. It is claimed that Carroms (as it was called then) was invented in 1889 by Haskell. A little investigation suggests that Haskell somehow became aware of the game – which had been played in India since at least the 18th century – and decided to make his own version in America. He was granted a U. S. patent for the game on October 26, 1897.
The Carroms games were originally made by hand. In 1892, 2,500 were made, (about 10 per day). Mass production started the following year with the game selling more in Iowa than anywhere else. By 1901, Carroms were sold in 10 states, in the tens of thousands. In its heyday the company employed over 200 people, including Ludington housewives who made the string pockets for the four corners of the game board. In 1902 the Ludington Novelty company bought Archarena Manufacturing Co., a game maker located in Illinois, becoming Carrom-Archarena. In the 1900s, it was one of the largest employers in Ludington. The name was changed to the Carrom Company in 1912, and sales were expanded to Europe and Asia.
Needing room for his various business interests, Haskell bought the corner building at 801 N. Rowe St., Ludington. in 1916. The building still stands, largely unchanged. In October of last year, the current owners of the now-vacant, three-story building, Ron and Dawn Sarto, donated the old factory to help create an affordable housing project known as Lofts on Rowe.
From Carroms to canoes
In 1917, the new Haskell Manufacturing Company was formed. Housed in its new headquarters, the company made Carroms boards (as they were orginally named), waterproof plywood (Haskelite), and Haskell canoes, originally called “Arex,” king of the water. (See our accompanying story.) The company continued to prosper and produce diverse products, including the Carroms games. In the first 63 years, it is estimated board game sales exceeded $4 million. Woodworking Digest estimated the company sold five million boards by 1958. Over the ensuing decades there have been mergers, buy-outs, name changes, lawsuits and moves to other manufacturing facilities.
By the 1980s, through toy and department stores, annual Carrom game sales were between 80,000 to 100,000. Now owned by Merdel Manufacturing Company, the Carrom Company moved its production of recreational products, including the Carrom Game Board, back to Ludington in 1996. Today, Carrom can still be found in the Merdel Building, 218 E. Dowland St. Carrom boards and other classic games are available there for purchase. They can be reached at: 800-223-6047 or online at www.carrom.com and on Facebook.
Carrom boards and custom, hand-painted Ludington versions of the board are available at Grateful Heart and Home, 119 W. Ludington Ave. The store’s phone number is 231-425-4477 and its email address is: gratefulheartandhome@icloud.com. Find them on Facebook at Grateful Heart and Home and also on Instagram.
The above information was compiled from patents found online, www.carrom.com, U.K. Carrom Federation, Carrom History by Ubergames.co.uk, and multiple articles and references found on Wikipedia.
Mark Videan enjoys board games, card games and trivia. He creates the word puzzles found on the back page of Freshwater Reporter.
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