The Boston Post Cane is a unique and iconic New England tradition.  Started in 1909 by the publisher of the Boston Post newspaper, the purpose was to promote the newspaper across New England by recognizing and honoring the eldest resident of the town.  Over 700 towns in Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire received the 14-karat gold headed ebony canes.  The head of the cane was engraved with the name of the town and “Presented by the Boston Post to the oldest citizen“.  Originally the cane was only presented to men but changed in the 1930s to include women.

Brentwood was one of the original 700 recipients of the Boston Post Cane.  The cane is displayed in the lobby of the town office, alongside a plaque with the names of former recipients.  If you would like to nominate a Brentwood resident for the honor of receiving the Boston Post Cane, please review the eligibility criteria and submit a nomination form (below).

TOWN OF BRENTWOOD, N.H.
BOSTON POST CANE POLICY

OBJECTIVE
To preserve the tradition of honoring the oldest resident of the town of Brentwood who desires the recognition

BOSTON POST CANE OWNERSHIP
The Brentwood Boston Post Cane is the property of the Town of Brentwood.  The cane will be displayed in a glass case at the town office building for public viewing.

ELIGIBILITY FOR THE BOSTON POST CANE
The Boston Post Cane shall be presented to the oldest resident of Brentwood with the following qualifications and stipulations:

1. The recipient of the cane must reside in the town of Brentwood and have been a resident for a minimum of 15 years
2. Individuals meeting the former criteria who no longer live in Brentwood by virtue of medical reasons and require residence in an assisted living facility are eligible for the honor of receiving the cane
3. If the oldest qualified resident does not accept the cane, the Boston Post Cane Committee shall offer the cane to the next qualified resident
4. The cane recipient will retain the honor of oldest resident until their passing or may relinquish the title any time prior
5. Residents of Rockingham County Complex must be prior residents of Brentwood to be eligible for consideration
6. The Boston Post Cane Committee will solicit potential recipients through personal contact, publicized notification, town records and nominations

PRESENTATION

1. Members of the Boston Post Cane Committee shall review applications and recommend new holder of the cane to the Brentwood Select Board
2. The cane will be presented by the Chairperson of the Select Board along with a representative of the Brentwood Historical Society
3. Public recognition of recipients will include:
4. name plaque displayed with cane at Town Office
5. photo gallery of recipients at Brentwood Historical Society

NOMINATON FORM
You can print the nomination form here by clicking on the “>>” menu symbol in the pane below. Alternatively you can download it as a PDF file – click the “>>”, save to your computer and print from there.