Parker Brothers

Parker Brothers was a famous game company started by brothers George, Charles, and Edward Parker in 1883. George's first game was one he called "Banking". By 1900, the company was major force in the game industry. Monopoly, the game became the most popular board game in America. As the company grew, Parker acquired land at 190 Bridge St., eventually growing to a 35,000 square foot office and manufacturing facility. It would later grow to 15 acres of land and employ 500 workers and have offices in several foreign countries. The company remained a family business until it was sold in 1970? to General Mills. A single game rescued the company from a serious business slump after the Great Depression. Monopoly, submitted as a game idea by Charles Brace Darrow was based on buying and selling real estate. In 1991, it was disclosed that the Parker Brothers plant would close and that Hasbro had transferred the Salem operations to a Milton Bradley factory in Springfield, Mass. Other board games Parker Brother produced were: Trivial Pursuit, Risk and the Ouija Board.