For more than a century, Chelmsford honored its oldest resident in a unique and cherished way. They awarded the town’s Boston Post Cane. That tradition remained unbroken—until the cane mysteriously disappeared for 33 years. This is the story of its origins, its disappearance, and its return.
The story started in 1909. The Boston Post, a prominent New England newspaper, launched a publicity campaign. It was unlike any other. The paper distributed 700 ornate walking canes—made of rich Gaboon ebony with gold heads—to towns across New England. Each town presented the cane to its oldest male resident. After his death, the town passed the cane to the next male recipient. (1)
At the time, women did not even have the right to vote. Not until 1919. The reality of women’s equality did not begin to shift until the 1930s. During that time, communities finally expanded the tradition of recognizing their oldest resident to include women.
Each town’s selectboard bore responsibility for the honorary transfer and served as informal trustees of the cane. But in 1962, the cane vanished. For over three decades, it remained missing, its whereabouts unknown—until, in 1995, it resurfaced under unexpected circumstances.
Madelon Clough contacted Marty Walsh, who was then the director of the Chelmsford Senior Center. She had discovered the cane among her late husband’s possessions. (2) The Senior Center collaborated with Bernie Ready of the Chelmsford Historical Society. They negotiated the society’s custody of the cane to ensure its safekeeping. Its return marked the revival of a long-paused custom.
That same year, the restored cane was awarded to Elizabeth Lees Craig on February 16. At 106 years young, she embodied the spirit of the tradition. Sadly, she passed away just over a month later, on March 31, 1995. True to the cane’s legacy, her son, Raymond Craig, returned it to Walsh. Walsh then passed it along to the Chelmsford Historical Society. To continue the tradition, the Chelmsford Historical Society is now creating a replica of the cane. It will award the replica to Chelmsford’s oldest living resident, regardless of gender.
Today, after its 33-year absence, the original Boston Post Cane remains in the care of the Historical Society. It has been there for the past 30 years, and it will stay there.
The original cane is proudly displayed in a case at the Barrett-Byam Homestead. It is located at 40 Byam Road in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Visitors are welcome to arrange a tour to view this historic artifact. They can discover more about the town’s rich and storied past.(3)
(1) Origins of the tradition | The Boston Post Cane Information Center
(2) Looking Back with Eleanor Parkhurst by Judy Buswick Page 149
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