- The Trivia & History Challenge will present a monthly question pertaining to Salisbury on our Website and on our Facebook page. We hope you will find the questions intriguing and find the answers interesting.
- Parents and Educators: Some topics may very well lend themselves to further research for school children’s projects and reports.
- Previous Questions with links to answers are Indexed on the following: Trivia History Challenge Index
- Do you have an interesting question and answer for the challenge? Please let us know.
- Should we make a factual error please do not hesitate to contact us. All additional data, images, corrections or questions are always welcome.
JANUARY 2025
QUESTION:
What is the tradition of the Boston Post Cane?
ANSWER
The Boston Post Cane is an award given to the oldest resident of a New England town to honor their longevity and vigor. The tradition was started in 1909 by Edwin Grozier, the publisher of The Boston Post newspaper:
The cane is made of ebony with a small 14-karat gold head that is engraved with the town’s name.
The cane is the property of the town, not the recipient.
The recipient holds the cane for life, and then it passes to the next oldest resident in town after their death.
The tradition was extended to include women in 1930.
Originally there were 700 canes given to towns in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire however about only 2/3 of those are accounted for today.
Our current cane recipient is Dennis Patten who was born Feb 9, 1928. He has given years of dedicated service to the Town of Salisbury and is well deserving.