As President of The Dover Historical Society it gives me great pleasure to announce the recent (2009) discovery and safe return of Dover’s Boston Post Cane, discovered in an antique shop by Dr. Stephen Kruskall, a member of our Advisory Board.

The story of the Boston Post Canes began in August of 1909 when Edwin A. Grozier, publisher of the Boston Post, hired J. F. Fradley & Co. of New York to produce them for presentation to the Selectmen in 700 towns throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island.  The canes were to be awarded by the Selectmen to the oldest male registered voter in each community. While in the possession of that most senior citizen it was to remain the property of the town and, upon his death it was to be passed to his successor.  In 1930 the tradition was amended to made women eligible as well. It was, of course, an elaborate publicity stunt meant to boost newspaper sales, but the canes were hardly cheap. Constructed of African ebony with an elaborate 14 karat gold head, each cane bore the inscription “Presented by the Boston Post to the Oldest Citizen of _____ – To Be Transmitted”.

Dover’s Post Cane was first awarded to Deacon Asa Talbot of Farm Street, a dairy farmer, cabinet maker, and nine term Selectman born in Sharon on April 15, 1816. Deacon Talbot died in Dover on October 21, 1910 in his 94^th year. Sadly, a search of municipal records has failed to reveal the individual to whom the cane was subsequently transmitted.  It is known to have been in the family of George C. Taylor of Taylor Lane, born in Dover in 1858 and thus of an age to receive it in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s. Readers with any knowledge of the cane’s history or prior recipients are urged to contact the Society.

The tradition of the Boston Post Cane is very much alive among those communities so fortunate as to have retained them. It is our hope to place Dover’s cane on display, either at the Town Hall or in the Sawin Museum, and to revive the tradition. We are grateful to Dr. Kruskall for his discovery of this long lost piece of Dover’s history, and we hope that our friends and readers will continue to keep an eye out for items of historical interest.

The Boston Post Cane is currently (2021) on display at the Dover Town Library.

By Elisha Lee