Windham awarded its eldest resident, 99-year old Pearl Grant, with the Boston Post Cane on Tuesday.

According to Town Clerk Linda Morrell, the tradition was started in 1909 as a promotion by the Boston Post. The largest newspaper in New England at the time, the Post sent out canes to 431 towns across the region to present to their eldest citizen. Although the Boston Post itself has long since ceased operations, the website for the Boston Post Cane notes that 546 towns across New England, including more than 200 in Maine alone, still take part in the tradition.

The first person in Windham to receive the Boston Post Cane was the Rev. Elijah Cook, who turned 91 the year that he received the cane. Ever since, it has been passed on to a new person whenever the current holder passes away, and Morrell told Lakes Region Now that, in her 31 years at the town hall, she has personally given the cane to nine people.

While Windham is one of the few municipalities that still possesses its original cane, the cane that Morrell gave to Grant was a replica, created in 1999 by local businesses and craftsmen. The original cane hangs in an enclosed case at Windham Town Hall. Morrell told Lakes Region Now that when the cane is given out, she has a family member sign a form saying that they will return the cane to the town office when the recipient passes away.

The previous holder of the Boston Post Cane was Hazel Gillman, who received the award in 2018, but passed away a few months ago at the age of 104. Morrell described Gillman as “the sweetest woman,” who was still reading the newspaper every day during her final months.

The presentation ceremony took place at Grant’s house on April 22., after a week-long delay due to illness, and was attended by several of Grant’s family and friends, including her children and grandchildren. Morrell began the ceremony by explaining the backstory of the Boston Post Cane, and noted that Grant is a second-generation cane recipient, with her mother having lived to the age of 106.

After the ceremony, Grant said she was surprised to find herself the town’s oldest resident, but was also quite thrilled to think that she could have the cane just like her mother did. Grant credited her long life to both her belief in God and her supportive family, noting that, while she lives on her own, her children check in on her every night.