Congratulations, You’re the Oldest Person in Town! Please Accept This Cane.
For over a century, towns in New England have presented their oldest residents with ceremonial canes. In some places, the honor endures — for those willing to accept it, that is.
Read the full story here | Reporter: Jenna Russell | Photo Editor: Heather Casey
Replicas of Watertown’s Boston Post cane at the Watertown Historical Society in Massachusetts.
Marion Cronin, 102, attributed her long life to positivity, and “saying yes to everything.”
A plaque honoring Ms. Cronin as a Boston Post cane recipient.
Mike Davis, assistant director of the historical society in Bridgton, Maine, is fixated on finding his town’s cane, which was stolen in 1995.
In Watertown, Mass., Charlie Morash spent 20 years searching for the city’s missing cane, which may have been the first to vanish, after the death of its first recipient in 1910.
Notes made by Mr. Morash from his efforts to purchase Watertown’s lost Boston Post cane.
Watertown’s Boston Post cane is no longer circulated. It’s displayed in a case at the Watertown Historical Society.
The cane in Harrison, Maine, which is no longer in circulation, is displayed in a case at the town office.