Our History

In the early 20th century, all chess sets sold in the United States were manufactured in Europe. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the supply of chess sets to the U.S. ceased.

Drueke is now known as the quality game manufacturer in the United States using nothing but the finest walnut, maple and aspen for its products. Our chess board is our oldest product now being manufactured with the cribbage board a close second. In addition, we are the only manufacturer today of a complete line of round wooden poker chip racks ranging from the 200 - 500 chip capacity. We have the most complete line of cribbage boards in the United States and possibly the world. Our line also includes action games, backgammon, dominos, checkers, game boxes, chess tables and wooden accessories.

1914 (c) - William F. Drueke (founder of The Drueke Company) started supplying Marshall Fields' store in Chicago with wooden chess sets and chess pieces. At that time, Grand Rapids was famous worldwide for its skilled wood turners, hand carvers and craftsman wood workers.

1941 - The Drueke Company settled at 601 Third Street, Grand Rapids, MI after moving it's chess producing factory three times.

1941 - Travel games such as chess sets and cribbage boards were shipped overseas to the servicemen in the armed forces during World War II.

pre 1954 - The first plastic molds were made and our game parts were contracted out.

1954 - The Drueke company purchased the first of three plastic injection molding machines to manufacture plastic game parts. The plastic game parts we now offer such as our interlocking poker chips, chess sets and cribbage pegs are considered the standard by which all other plastic pieces are judged.

1990 - Drueke was purchased by The Carrom Company of Ludington, MI and all Drueke game manufacturing was moved to the Carrom production facility.