US pool history

[Bob Callahan]

I was very surprised to find out that 1P was the oldest American game:

A History of Pool in the USA

 

[macguy]

I was very surprised to find out that 1P was the oldest American game:

A History of Pool in the USA

I have a feeling the person who wrote that is referring to 1 & 15 in the side not one pocket as we play it now. If you read the whole thing they say a few things that are suspect. I would have to know where they got their information.

 

[Pushout]

I can't back it up at the moment but I'd say a lot of it is wrong. Mike Shamos, in The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards, says that One Pocket was described as early as 1869 but derived from the earlier game of Bar Hole?? I don't remember what the web page said about it. The correct name for Straight Pool is 14.1 Continuous Pocket Billiards, not the other way around. It looks like someone made an effort but I don't think their sources were too good.
If I remember right, One Pocket did not become the game we know today until the late '20s but I may be wrong.

 

[book collector]

I can't back it up at the moment but I'd say a lot of it is wrong. Mike Shamos, in The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Billiards, says that One Pocket was described as early as 1869 but derived from the earlier game of Bar Hole?? I don't remember what the web page said about it. The correct name for Straight Pool is 14.1 Continuous Pocket Billiards, not the other way around. It looks like someone made an effort but I don't think their sources were too good.
If I remember right, One Pocket did not become the game we know today until the late '20s but I may be wrong.

There was an early game 1700s where there was one hole at each end of the table . I think there were many different variations of the game , one being a game called Fortification Billiards which used pieces in the shape of castles and batteries flags etc. to block the opponent from your hole.
Page 50 of E White's Practical Tretaise On The Game Of Billiards gives rulings on the "Bar Hole Game" and "One Hole" pertaining to this game. Which was a combination of Billiards and Chess with a side order of probability theory.
The earliest I have personnally heard of One Pocket in todays form being played, was in the 1940s.
It may have been played earlier but I can't prove it.
If someone has a source, I would appreciate learning it.
The E. White book was written in 1807.
The book used to sell for 1000.00 up and my friend Carter Adams reprinted it if anyone is interested.
There is also a reprint of Billiards Without a Master available from someone else.
Both are great books.
I probably would not buy many of the other reprints myself but these are 2 of the most difficult and expensive books to find for collectors.

 

[OUSooner]

I agree with Pushout. Most of what is said there doesn't jive with most of the written history of pool. 8 ball was a game invented by Brunswick around 1900 to up sales. One pocket wasn't developed until later and took even longer to catch on.