Gorham Town Clerk Laurie Nordfors recently announced that the town has decided to renew the practice of honoring the town’s oldest resident. In the tradition of the Boston Post Cane, a special plaque will be given later this year to the person who is certified as the oldest resident of Gorham.

For many years, a gold-tipped ebony cane was entrusted to Gorham’s oldest resident, in order to honor their longevity. This local practice was part of a region-wide tradition that began in 1909, when the publisher of the Boston Post newspaper, Edwin Grozier, decided to order 700 finely crafted walking sticks from a top manufacturer of that time. He presented the “Boston Post Canes” to the oldest resident of 700 towns throughout Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. (Cities were excluded.)

Grozier sought to institute this as a new tradition in all 700 towns throughout these four states, partially to honor the longevity of each recipient, and also to promote his newspaper. On accepting its specially engraved cane, each town agreed to honor Grozier’s wishes in perpetuity, which meant arranging for the cane’s transfer after each recipient’s passing, as well as monitoring the cane’s whereabouts in the meantime.

Originally, only men were allowed to have the canes but in 1930 the Boston Post management recommended that all of the towns should begin including women in the tradition.

Many towns throughout New England have continued to honor the Boston Post Cane tradition in the original way, using their original cane. However, some years ago Gorham decided to stop entrusting its historic cane to its oldest resident, and instead put the cane on display in the town office, where it can still be seen. According to Nordfors, the last two residents to have the cane were Margaret Tabor and Edna Woodward, who each had the cane during the 1990s.

In the announcement, Nordfors stated that persons wishing to nominate themselves (or someone else) as the oldest resident can contact the town clerk at (207) 222-1670, or they can fill out a nomination form obtainable through the clerk’s office. Additional supporting documentation may be requested. A minimum of ten years’ residency in Gorham is required. Nomination papers will be available until May 30, 2024. As of April 30, Nordfors reported that applications had been submitted on behalf of two people, one of whom is 102 years old.