With more than 150,000 board games in existence and the U.S. being at the forefront of the industry, one can wonder where it all started. Some might guess the classics: Monopoly, Scrabble, or maybe even Jenga. However, the first American board game was invented long before these.

Travelers’ Tour Through the United States was first published by Frederick and Roe Lockwood in 1822, 46 years after America gained its independence. This geography-centric game, designed for 2 to 4 players, is based on a map of the United States at the time. It features 24 states, ranging from the Atlantic coast to new Southern ones such as Missouri and Arkansas. The map includes 139 numbered cities and towns, which serve as spots for players to move to.

Players start at Washington and race to reach New Orleans first by taking turns spinning a teetotum, an alternative to dice, as that was seen as a symbol of gambling. The educational board game fits its description as an “instructive pastime” as players have to name the city to move forward and, in a harder version of the game, be able to guess the urban population.

The two cartographer brothers who printed the game, Frederick and Roe Lockwood, specialized in foreign language publications before diversifying to offer a different educational activity for children. While it’s unclear how many copies were ever printed, very few remain today, indicating that not many were likely sold.

The American Antiquarian Society first discovered a copy of the game in 1991, replacing The Mansion of Happiness as the oldest known American board game. While Travelers’ Tour Through the United States dates back over two centuries, the oldest playable board game in the world is much older, dating back over 4,000 years.

The Royal Game of Ur, originating in ancient Mesopotamia, is one of the earliest known board games. Essentially, the board game is a race against an opponent to move your pieces across the board and reach the other side. As demonstrated by Travelers’ Tour Through the United States and The Royal Game of Ur, board games have not only served as pastimes throughout history but also as reflections of the past. Similarly, one day, Monopoly will be a way for future generations to see how our economy functions and how we spend our leisure time.

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