Skittles, Ninepins, and Bowling

When the first colonists came to the New World, they brought English customs with them. One of these was a game called skittles, later known as nine-pins. It was a forerunner of bowling, although the rules are quite different.

To play this game, nine large, wooden pegs or pins are set up. Then, the player throws a hunk of rounded wood, often called the "cheese," at the pins. However, the cheese must bounce once and only once. It cannot hit, slide, or scoot into the pins without bouncing.

There are different ways of scoring in the game, and, in England, these varied as to region. The game also has a long history and is still played today on occasion. In fact, you can sometimes find it demonstrated at historic locations, like Roanoke Island Festival Park on North Carolina's Outer Banks. 

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