History of Cornhole
- May 3rd, 2010
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History of Cornhole
There are a lot of cornhole players everywhere but typically, most are coming from the northeastern and in the west regions. Since it has started gaining fame all over the area, more and more people are taking their time on learning how it is played. There are even tournaments formed to foster healthy competition among its players. However, despite its growing popularity, no one exactly knows how the game came about. There have been lot of accounts pertaining to the origin of corn hole yet none have been verified.
It is highly speculated that it is a result of an evolution from an ancient civilization game. This civilization was thought to have enjoyed tossing rocks at holes in the ground to past time which fueled the beginnings of cornhole. Though it may be awesome to be playing a game which came about thousands of the years ago, the story is still considered hearsay because no one can legitimately prove this anecdote.
There are a number of tales that strongly point to the early German emigrants to the New World as being the pioneers of cornhole. It was thought that a German farmer named Matthias Kueperman invented and perfected this game in the year of 1325 at his very own backyard in Bavaria. According to cornhole historians, while he was out having a walk during one fine spring day, he witnessed some children having fun in the process of throwing some heavy rocks into a hole in the ground. Being worried sick that the children might get hurt and not having the heart to stop the children from their merriment, he decided to create a safer game based on what he has just witness.
The stones which were commonly seen around the areas weigh about 1 Pfund in old german language or about 1.13 pounds. Though the weight of the stone seems to be ideal for reaching about 2 Ruthens (approximately 16 feet) when tossed, the hardness of the stone is still potentially dangerous for everyone who will engage in playing it.
Luckily, corn was an abundant and easy to grow commodity sold by weight across Europe. This product was poured into burlaps so it could be used as basis for measurement. A bag weighed almost a pound which made it just right for tossing around. Kueperman recognized this convenience and set about in constructing a box with 6 inch hole to serve as the goal board. Locals were easily captivated by this innovation and soon after, cornhole got its unbridled popularity. However, its esteemed status has dire repercussions. The making of the box used in the game resulted into rapid deforestation causing great alarm among woodworkers.
Noble wood merchants sought recourse from their lord which, in effect, resulted to the passing of the Corn Laws of Britain during the 15th century. The exorbitant taxes on corn imports took its toll on the production of corn bags, thus, making the tournaments cost prohibitive.
Pretty soon, the game was quickly forgotten and vanished into oblivion. But all hopes were not gone because the game of cornhole resurfaced again in the area of Cincinnati hundred years after its supposed extinction. Cincinnati has strong Germanic roots so it is plausible that Kueperman’s story might have an ounce of truth in there.
Cincinnati is a small city which has the making of people who might just be perfect for spreading the popularity of cornhole. It is a college town with a great professional sports record achievement. With these characteristics, it is plausible to say that the cornhole sporting events held at its college did a lot of help in adding to the game’s fame.
The real and well-documented story of the corn hole beginnings is somehow connected to another game which is bean bag toss. Some may not be aware of the difference of the two but the latter is played with a smaller board compared with the former. The cornhole game is intended to have a two by four feet official board while the bean bag toss board is measured to have a two by three area which makes it more convenient to bring around. However, this convenience did not stop many from choosing cornhole over other the other games played in the area.
Another account involves a Midwestern farmer that goes by the name of Jebediah McGillicuddy. It was around nineteenth century when the game came about. Unlike Kueperman who had an epiphany while watching the children, it was told that McGillicuddy took his time to invent cornhole simply just to pass boredom after tending to his chores and enjoy some quality fun time with his friends and family. Like all the other tales, there is no solid supporting evidence to support the Kentucky’s claim of cornhole origin. Some wants to believe the ingenuity of this claim simply because it is more imaginable to have a scenario wherein a game is created and played by farmers to pass boredom rather thinking about the complex story offered by the ones in Cincinnati. Still, the idea that the inventor of cornhole is person called Jebediah and had an Irish surname seemed far-fetched to many just because you can only hear this side of the story from those living in Kentucky.
Although the game got its name from the usage of corn-filled cloth cornhole bags, this design is still being used . Boards are also now made of both plastic and wood instead of just wood. Yet, despite these changes, the mechanics of the game remains to be the same and continues to have many followers.
