Most Americans are familiar with the popular board game Monopoly, but residents of the Ardens have the inside scoop on the real history of the game. A recent New York Times article details the game’s true beginnings in the form of Elizabeth Magie’s Landlord Game.
The author of the article, Mary Pilon, conducted some of her research here at the Arden Craft Shop Museum. She spoke with a number of Museum & Archives Committee members and took a tour of the villages. Pilon, whose findings will soon be published as a book, argues against the popular myth that Monopoly was created by a smart but unemployed man named Charles Darrow. She persuasively asserts that instead, Darrow used one set of rules of Magie’s already existing game to form the basis of his own.
A PBS series titled History Detectives also detailed the original Landlord’s Game, tracing Magie’s inspiration back to her interest in the economic theories of Henry George. The ACSM has a copy of the video, and a transcript is available.
A recent movement to reproduce the original game is underway, and interested parties can bid for the new editions.
In the meantime, if you need a get out of jail free card, see Don Stephens!
