The Boston Post Cane is a "tradition that would not die", according to one New England article written several years ago. In 1909, the publisher of the Boston Post newspaper, Mr. Edwin Grozier, offered a gold-capped cane to the Selectmen in 700 towns in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Selectmen in some 431 of those towns accepted the gift and became the trustees of the cane. It was originally presented to the oldest male citizen living in town, as a symbol of longevity, with the intent to be passed along to successive "oldest citizens." In the 1930s, Richard Grozier, a later publisher of the Boston Post, granted permission to the towns to award the cane to a woman.

Our Boston Post Cane was initially presented to Stillman Richardson who was 95 years old at the time he died in 1916.The actual presentation date is not know. Since then, seventeen other "oldest residents" have received the cane, including six women. Rose Trombley was the first woman to receive the cane in Marlborough, in October of 1971. The current holder of the cane, Gwendolyn Hooper was presented the cane in Nov. of 1996 when she was about 94 years old.

Our Boston Post Cane was retired in 1995 and replaced with a replica in order to preserve the original and to avoid losing track of it, a problem which has happened over time in a number of the original 431 towns. The replica is made with a walnut shaft turned by former Selectman Robert Bennett and is topped with an engraved pewter cap which was made by one of our residents and former pewter craftsman Harold Tonseth.

Information on the history of the Boston Post Cane and its use in New Hampshire can be found in an interesting book authored by Ms. Barbara Staples of Massachusetts. The book is titled "The Granite State's Boston Post Canes". The Marlborough Historical Society and the Marlborough Heritage Commission jointly researched the history of the recipients of the cane in our town, and created a booklet which can be purchased from the Historical Society. For further information on this interesting story about the cane, its use in New England and in our own town of Marlborough, contact either of these organizations.

Click here to download a a DOC file of this story.

· Our Society is 40 years old in September !!!!

On September 25, 1964, the Marlborough Historical Society (Inc.) was granted its Charter by the State of NH as a non-profit organization. We will celebrate that milestone at our regular meeting on September 28th . Besides enjoying a birthday cake together, maybe we'll even take a number of photographs of Charter Members in attendance and everyone else, for the archival photo collection. We hope you can join us for that meeting.

Click here for a complete file of this report (DOC file).

After 40 years of preserving and promoting the history of Marlborough, it would be good, for general information, to restate the purposes of the Society which were documented in our Society's Constitution by the original founders. These are typed below exactly as they were originally established back in 1964:
· To promote interest, present and future in the historical and cultural background so richly inherited from our early settlers
· To collect and preserve all articles, papers and special gifts of historical interest
· To develop within the Township of Marlborough, New Hampshire, a fellowship that will endure through a better future resulting from a more thorough understanding of the past
· Membership renewal time:
The Society's membership year begins on September 1. The Membership Committee sends out its annual appeal for membership renewal with this August Newsletter.

We have enclosed a self-addressed envelope which we ask that you return with your dues within the next few weeks. Each year we hope to get a good response by the end of September as we plan activities for the year ahead.
· Marlborough Heritage Weekend: September 25 & 26
Save these dates on your calendar.

On Saturday Sept. 25, from 11:00AM to 3:00PM, the Heritage Commission and Marlborough Community Association will co-sponsor a local Arts & Crafts Exhibit at the Maynard-Gates House next to the Marlborough Estates. There will be at least 22 local folks exhibiting quilts, woven items, painting, photographs, wooden article, and other hand made items. The skills that we have here in our town are amazing and we hope you can come to enjoy the exhibit. A few of the exhibitors will be present to demonstrate their arts/crafts, or just to meet and talk with visitors.

On Sunday, Sept. 26, the Heritage Commission will host a special Dedication at the Meeting House & Town Pound Site on Frost Hill Rd., beginning at 2:00 PM. A very special guest in the person of General George Washington will participate in this program as we dedicate our town's restored and enhanced historic site which has been created at the Old Meeting House location. Publicity will be out in early to mid-September with more details for both events.

· Programs planned for 2004 - 2005
September 28 Come One! Come All!
Bring a family heirloom, an antique, a treasure, an old photograph, a story, whatever you wish to share with your fellow members and visitors. This will be your night to shine at the Society Meeting. It will be the program for the evening, and we'll have a fun night ! And, we'll celebrate our 40TH Birthday.

October 26 "Historical Perspectives of Mt. Monadnock" Guest speaker: Ann Royce of Jaffrey Mrs. Royce has a wonderful collection of historical slides and an interesting talk about Mt. Monadnock and its earlier history.
March 8 Our annual Bake Sale --- 12:30 to 6:00 PM Town Meeting Day
March 22 Photographs of W. L. Metcalf, noted early photographer --- the private collection of William Howland. Mr. Howland will loan us his collection of 40 historical photos of scenes in Marlborough and a number of others taken in the area. These were made from glass plate negatives which W. L. Metcalf used in the early days of photography. We'll view these photos and discuss our recollections of the landmarks and scenes from many years ago.
April 26 "The Little Red Schoolhouse" ---- Schools & Education in Cheshire County 1776 - 1876
This will be a 2-part program. The first part will be an 18 minute slide/tape show documenting the history of the one room district school system. We are borrowing this program material from the Historical Society of Cheshire County. For the second part we will share some of the interesting historical information about our own town's early schools, using excerpts from the Charles A. Bemis History of Marlborough and an article written several years ago by Priscilla Richardson.
May 24 Annual Pot Luck Supper - 6:00 PM At the Community House ( Program plans will be determined later.)

· Artifacts Area has been redesigned: The Artifacts Committee has done a great job to rearrange the layout in our storage area, using two metal shelving units donated by Rob Kenny, Homestead Bookshop, along with other interior changes. The key to this was the removal of a couple of large display cases which are now located in the corner of the Mabel Page Room, serving as additional exhibit cases for our many artifacts. The room now has better accessibility and a more efficient layout.Thanks to the Committee for their ingenuity and good work on this project.

· Our Newsletter is put out by the Executive Committee to keep our membership and friends informed about our meeting schedule, program plans, recent acquisitions, committee activities and other interesting historically-related information. Anyone with questions or comments should contact Richard Butler, at 876-3980. Proposed List of Officers & Committees for 2004 - 2005
President Richard Butler
Vice President vacant (see note below)
Treasurer Phil Clark
Secretary Jackie Williams

Artifacts Committee
Jane Butler
Jackie Williams
Janice Knight
Phil Clark
Eleanor Russell

Program Committee
Corrine Bennett
Richard Butler
Helen Wilson

Membership Committee
Eleanor Russell
Jane Butler

An invitation to Historical Society members:
We're looking for a Vice -President, as well as an additional member for the Program Committee and for the Membership Committee. If you have an interest in even exploring the idea of becoming a volunteer for the Society, please call Jackie Williams, Secretary or Dick Butler, President, for additional information.

This list will be presented formally at the September 28 meeting for action by the members present. We apologize for the delay - such a list is normally acted on by the Society in the spring.

Work in the Marlborough Webb Quarry -- Audio talks by Harold Larro
       Between 1891 when George D. Webb purchased the Marlborough quarry, and 1933 when the business closed operations, as many as 250 men annually cut, polished, and shipped high quality granite to cities throughout New England. Harold Larro describes the work his father performed at the quarry, and reminiscences about what this industry meant to the town of Marlborough.

The Stone Wall History & Restoration Reference Page