Our Story

In 1986, Barb painted a parcheesi game on an old wooden bread board as a birthday gift to her late husband, Phil. He was surprised and she unknowingly began an almost 40 year adventure of making folk art and antique reproduction game boards for all to enjoy.

Ridge Hollow Game Boards was started in a home built by Phil, located in the wooded hollow on Ridge Rd in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Sadly, Phil passed away in late 2012.

Barb found love again with Bob and married in the spring of 2016. In early 2020, Barb and Bob purchased their dream home, an 1847 stone house built by the Colemans of the Cornwall Iron Furnace, located in the quiet countryside of Cornwall, Pennsylvania. Also known as the East Plantation, the Checkerboard Carriage House is now the home of Ridge Hollow Game Boards.

Each game board is hand-crafted out of a high-quality wood and intricately hand-painted using various types of paints. They are then antiqued and varnished to protect the painting and to ensure they can be enjoyed now and passed on to future generations.

The antique reproduction game boards portray centuries-old games that were homemade and simple, once handcrafted by skilled carriage and sign makers. Along with the reproduction boards, Barb has also created original Folk Art designs over the years.

Bob and Barb continue their journey discovering old games to recreate and introduce to a new generation.   

As a child, board games were a large part of Barb's upbringing in the countryside. One of her fondest memories is of friends and family spending time together playing Parcheesi and Chinese Checkers. 

Barb’s painting is greatly influenced by her Pennsylvania German heritage.  She also credits her mother, Marion, a talented folk artist, for instilling a deep appreciation and love for Early Americana and traditional Pennsylvania Dutch designs. 

Bob has been collecting antiques and primitives since he was a young boy. As a skilled woodworker, Bob has emulated the simplicity similar to that of the carriage and sign makers from the past. He appreciates the detail in crafting the antique reproduction game boards.

“We encourage you to step back to a simpler time, playing games with family and friends and creating a lifetime of memories.” - Barb and Bob Donough