Franklin County

Franklin County’s Town Canes (Part 4 of 4): Where are Franklin County’s Town Canes Now?

January 28, 2025 by anderso Leave a Comment

In September 1956 the Public Opinion asked this question when reminiscing about “Dr. George F. Platt, who survived the ordeals of war and lived into his nineties and was the holder of the Town Cane (By the way what has become of the Town Cane and who is the present holder?)”^[i] No subsequent responses were noted by the newspaper.

The Downtown Business Council of Chambersburg posed the same question on Facebook in 2023: “What happened to the town cane? Has it vanished like the Hope Diamond?”^[ii] None of the twenty-three comments provided a clue to the location of either Town Cane. To date, neither Town Cane has been located.^[iii] If you know the whereabouts of either Town Cane, please contact Pam Anderson at [email protected].

2023 Downtown Business Council Facebook Post

It’s been almost 100 years since the tradition began in Franklin County—and over seventy-five years since both canes disappeared: Chambersburg’s in 1941 and Waynesboro’s in 1946. I’ve asked many people & organizations about the canes:

Pat Fleagle & Waynesboro Historical Society
Franklin County & Washington County Historical Societies
Todd Dorsett, Antietam Historical Association
Preserving our Heritage Archives Museum
Heather Wade, Franklin County Archivist
Pete Lagiovani, former Chambersburg Mayor
Jeffrey M. Stonehill, current Chambersburg Borough Manager
Kathy Leedy, former P.O. staff writer & Chambersburg Borough Council
Hurley, Kohler, & Ocker Auctioneers
Jessica Walker, Wilson College Archivist
Sam Worley, former Franklin County Commissioner

I also have done five presentations on the Town Canes:

Franklin County Visitors Bureau
Rotary Club of Waynesboro
Franklin County Historical Society
Waynesboro Lions Club
Rotary Club of Chambersburg

Other presentations are scheduled. If your organization would like a 20-minute presentation on Franklin County’s Town Canes, contact me.

If you know the whereabouts or have any information on our Town Canes, please contact me at [email protected].

[i] “The Forum of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 26 Sep 1956, p. 24, col. 2.

[ii] “Downtown Business Council of Chambersburg: Town Cane,” Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile/100064903203617/search/?q=Town%20Cane).

[iii] Negative searches for Town Canes at the Franklin County Historical Society; also 2023 emails to the following: Kathy Leedy, former Public Opinion staff writer and Chambersburg Borough Council member (15 May), Patrick Fleagle, Waynesboro Historical Society (15 May), Heather Wade, Franklin County Archivist (16 May), Peter Lagiovani, former mayor (18 May), Jeffrey M. Stonehill via Cindy Harr, Chambersburg Borough Manager (18 May), John Kohler, Gateway Gallery Auction (18 May), Carl Ocker, Kenny’s Auction (18 May), and Jessica Walker, Wilson College Archivist (19 July).

Franklin County’s Town Canes (Part 3 of 4): Waynesboro’s Town Cane

January 24, 2025 by anderso Leave a Comment

Waynesboro’s 80-Year Club was known as “one of its kind.” It was formed in Nov 1934 by Albertus Dyson Adams. Membership was restricted to octogenarians—those who had reached their 80th birthday. Its members were from both Franklin County and Washington County, Maryland, and they held monthly meetings. The Waynesboro Lions Club provided the annual dinner & began the tradition of passing the Town Cane. Their last meeting was held in May 1943, because “attempts to get remaining members together proved futile.” The Club was deactivated in Feb 1946 Its records were turned over to the Alexander Hamilton Library and the remaining monies were donated to Red Cross.[1]

Waynesboro awarded its first Town Cane in 1934. But unlike Chambersburg, Waynesboro’s Cane was not a local newspaper’s marketing scheme. The Cane was sponsored and awarded through the Waynesboro Lion’s Club to the oldest male in their “Eighty Year Club,” men who are all over the age of eighty. Also different from Chambersburg, was that the presenter of the Cane was not Waynesboro Burgess or Mayor. At least five Waynesboro men received the Lion’s Town Cane.

Judge Watson R. Davison presented a “representative” cane “to the oldest man in your club—John M. Newcomer” in December 1934. Newcomer worked in the feed, grain, and coal business, a promoter of the Pen Mar Realty Company, and former director of the Bank of Waynesboro and the First National Bank and Trust Company. “The official town cane, when it arrives, will be substituted for the cane presented tonight. Mr. Newcomer will use the cane until the end of his life; when the cane will go to the man who is the oldest at that time, and so on.”^[2] John M. Newcomer died in March 1938 at his home on South Church Street in Waynesboro.^[3]

Dr. James Burns Amberson, the dean of Franklin County Physicians, received the Town Cane in April 1938. Amberson was the last surviving charter member of the Franklin County Medical Society and its 1887 president. “An ardent promoter of the construction of the Waynesboro Hospital, Dr. Amberson was named president of the medical staff of the hospital after its establishment.” The Rev. S. E. Lobach presented the Cane to the 93-year-old physician at the Waynesboro Lions Club’s weekly dinner meeting.^[4] James Burns Amberson died in June 1943 after a long illness.^[5]

Melvin Augustus Flautt of East Second Street was announced as the next recipient of the Town Cane in August 1943. He worked for Joseph Krebs, the Geiser Manufacturing Company, and Frank Landis. Flautt also invented a straw shredder and a Boss weigher, which can be found on Wikipedia. The Cane “will be engraved within the next few weeks for presentation to the present oldest male resident, M. A. Flautt, a charter member of the 80-Year Club, who is now 94.” Judge Watson Davison presented the cane.^[6] Melvin Augustus Flautt died in January 1944 at his home in Waynesboro.^[7]

Jacob Bonebrake Hess of North Broad Street, age 90, was awarded the Town Cane “by the Waynesboro Lions Club to the oldest living man in Waynesboro,” probably in April 1944.^[8] He “retired from extensive farming…and was a charter member of the Eighty-Year Club; and at the time of his death was the oldest member, having possession of the cane.” Jacob Bonebrake Hess died in October 1945 at his daughter’s home on Broad Street after a three-month illness.^[9]

Clinton Middlekauff, age 87, of North Church Street received “the Traveling Cane of Waynesboro Lions Club, held by the town’s oldest citizen” in January 1946.^[10] Middlekauff was retired from the Geiser Company for thirty years and “a member of the 80-year-old club and at the time of his death, had the cane in his possession.” Clinton Middlekauff died in October 1946 at his home on North Church Street. He was the last known recipient of the Waynesboro Town Cane.

One month after passing the Cane to Middlekauff, “the Waynesboro Eighty Year Club, the only one of its kind known in Pennsylvania was deactivated” in February 1946. The Club claimed that “it is most likely that the cane will be kept in circulation.”^[11] Middlekauff was the last documented holder of the Waynesboro Lions Town Cane, as no article describing the next recipient has been found. Middlekauff’s only child Nellie Pearl (Middlekauff) Miller died in 1973. She had nine children and 38 grandchildren.[12] If anyone knows any of Clinton Middlekauff’s surviving great grandchildren, one of them may know the whereabouts of Waynesboro’s Town Cane.

(To be continued in Part 4: Where are Franklin County’s Town Canes)

[1] “Waynesboro’s Unique 80 Year Club is Being Deactivated Here,” The Record Herald (Waynesboro, Penn.), p. 1, col. 2.

[2] “Lions Award Town Cane to J M Newcomer,” The Record Herald, 13 Dec 1934, p. 1, col. 6.

[3] “J. M. Newcomer Dies at Age 95,” The Record Herald, 14 Mar 1938, p. 1, col. 8.

[4] “Receives Town Cane,” The Record Herald, 14 Apr 1938, p. 1, col. 6.

[5] “Dr. Amberson Dies Today,” The Record Herald, 14 June 1943, p. 6, col. 4.

[6] “Lion’s Cane Goes to M. A. Flautt, 94,” The Record Herald, 22 July 1943, p. 1, col. 3.

[7] “M. A. Flautt Dies at 94,” The Record Herald, 13 Jan 1944, p. 1, col. 2.

[8] “Jacob Hess is Awarded Cane,” The Record Herald, 16 Mar 1944, p. 1, col. 6.

[9] “Obituary: Jacob B. Hess,” The Record Herald, 29 Oct 1945, p. 8, col. 3.

[10] “Town Cane is Awarded,” The Record Herald, 10 Jan 1946, p. 1, col. 4.

[11] “Waynesboro’s Unique 80 Year Club is Being Deactivated Here,” The Record Herald, 16 Feb 1946, p. 1, col. 2.

[12] “Nellie Pearl Middlekauff Family Tree,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com).

Franklin County’s Town Canes (Part 2 of 4): Chambersburg’s Town Cane

January 20, 2025 by anderso Leave a Comment

The idea of a Town Cane evidently struck Chambersburg residents very well, because at least six Chambersburg men received the Public Opinion Town Cane.

Dr. George Fisk Platt, Civil War veteran and retired dentist, was the first recipient of Chambersburg’s Town Cane. Burgess Clyde H. Pensinger presented the Cane to Dr. Platt on his 94th birthday at his N. Main Street home on 10 April 1929. Unlike the Boston Post Cane, it was described as “a handsome stick with a sterling silver handle.”^[1] But like the Boston Post Cane, it was provided by the local newspaper. Platt expressed his appreciation in being the first recipient and “promised to use it regularly.” He thanked the Public Opinion for “carrying out the idea” and Pensinger for presenting the Cane.^[2] Dr. George Fisk Platt died in August 1929 in Chambersburg.^[3]

Solomon McLucas, also a Civil War veteran, was the next person to receive the Town Cane. Burgess Pensinger presented the Cane to the 94-year-old former farmer and father of eight in September 1929. McLucas and his wife moved to Montgomery Avenue about 1920.^[4] “Although the holder of the Town Cane, Mr. McLucas does not deign to use it. He shuns the use of any aid to locomotion.”^[5] His daughter reported “that right after he received the cane…[he] did not seem to appreciate it. But the idea grew upon him, and he became its proud holder and found great joy in its possession.”^[6] Solomon McLucas died in June 1932 at his Chambersburg home.^[7] At least six Public Opinion articles mentioned him as holder of the Town Cane.

David Benjamin Nace of Montgomery Avenue, another Civil War veteran, was presented with the Town Cane in April 1933. Burgess Robert C. Vanderau presented the Cane to the 94-year-old who was “one of the organizers of the Chambersburg Hospital and for many years treasurer of the board.” Nace expressed his appreciation and stated, “that he would cherish the cane throughout the remainder of his days.”^[8] David Benjamin Nace died in October 1933 at his home in Chambersburg.^[9]

It took almost a year to find the next recipient because, “the last time the Town Cane was given, a mistake was almost…given to the second oldest Chambersburger. Therefore, this time we are proceeding slowly in order to be sure the oldest man gets it.”^[10]

George Washington Immell Sr., “well known retired produce dealer [of] Philadelphia Avenue,” was the next “man living in town” to receive the Town Cane.^[11] In February 1934 Burgess Vanderau presented the Cane to Immell on his 92nd birthday, “on behalf of the Public Opinion.”^[12] Two years later, the newspaper congratulated him for spending his 94th birthday shoveling snow. The article reminded people, “the Town Cane is possessed by Chambersburg’s oldest male. A cane was selected…because such a prop has long been associated with great length of years in man.”^[13] Unfortunately, on his 95th birthday, Immell fell “in his bedroom as he arose from an afternoon nap [and] fractured his left leg.” He spent the rest of his birthday in the Chambersburg Hospital.^[14] He was admitted to the hospital again in May “as the result of complications developing from his fractured leg.”^[15] George Washington Immell Sr. died in May 1937 at the hospital.^[16] At least fifteen Public Opinion articles mentioned him as holder of the Town Cane.

The Public Opinion wondered “how one would hope to use the cane—whether he could swing it, may be a little jauntily, or would have to use it as a prop, as a crutch to aid a diseased and time-wracked body to get about.”^[17]

William Paxton “Pax” Slaughenhaup, a 92-year-old former horse breeder, was the next in line for the Town Cane. Besides working as a horse dealer and owning stables on S. Main Street, he raised Holstein cattle and worked in the hay and straw business. He also recalled “tended horses in the mountains at the time of the burning of Chambersburg by the confederates.”^[18] He received the Cane from Burgess Vanderau in his room at the Hotel LaMar in June 1937. “Except for blindness, Mr. Slaughenhaup enjoys all his faculties and is in excellent health.” Almost one year after breaking his left leg in a fall, William Paxton Slaughenhaup died in March 1938 at Hotel LaMar.^[19]

Wallace Holcomb of N. Main Street was the sixth and last known recipient of the Public Opinion Town Cane. Holcomb was a retired farmer and sheep rancher; hardware, lumber, and coal dealer; coal miner; justice of the peace; and mayor in Massachusetts and Connecticut. “Several years ago, Mr. Holcomb and his daughter, Miss V. Louise Holcomb, professor of psychology and philosophy at Wilson College…took up permanent residence in Chambersburg.”^[20] Burgess Vanderau again presented the cane on behalf of the newspaper in May 1938. The “tall, spare, white-haired” Holcomb beat out Peter Schaffnit by just three months. Schaffnit died in November 1939 and was never eligible for the cane, because Wallace Holcomb died in June 1941 at their home on N. Main Street after a five-month illness.^[21] His daughter was his only descendant.

Holcomb was the last documented holder of the Public Opinion Town Cane. A call for nominations of the next recipient appeared in July 1941. “Who Gets Town Cane? The death of Wallace Holcomb makes the Town Cane available for presentation to the oldest male citizen of Chambersburg. PUBLIC OPINION will be glad to receive the name of those who may be in line to hold the cane. Communications should be addressed to the editor in care of this paper.”^[22] Note that the recipient must still be male. No article announcing the next recipient has been found.

(To be continued in Part 3: Waynesboro’s Town Cane)

[1] “Gets Town Cane,” Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Penn.), 13 Apr 1929, p. 1, col. 1.

[2] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 15 Apr 1929, p. 10, col. 1.

[3] Penns. Dept. of Health, Death Cert. no. 83366 (1929), George Fisk Platt, “Pennsylvania Death Certificates 1906-1970,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3532115:5164).

[4] “Chambersburg Man, 94, to be Given Town Cane,” Public Opinion, 14 Sep 1929, p. 4, col. 5.

[5] “Holder of Town Cane is Nearing 97 but he Walks without Aid of the Cane,” Public Opinion, 24 Feb 1932, p. 1, col. 2.

[6] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 1 July 1932, p. 12, col. 1.

[7] “Deaths: Solomon McLucas,” Public Opinion, 27 June 1932, p. 2, col. 3.

[8] “Town Cane Awarded to Civil War Veteran, 94,” Public Opinion, 10 Apr 1933, p. 1, col. 5.

[9] “Holder of Town Cane Dies,” Public Opinion, 9 Oct 1933, p. 2, col. 5.

[10] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 13 July 1932, p. 10, col. 1.

[11] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 23 Jan 1934, p. 8, col. 2.

[12] “Town Cane Given to Aged Citizen on 92d Birthday,” Public Opinion, 16 Feb 1934, p. 1, col. 2.

[13] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 18 Feb 1936, p. 8, col. 1.

[14] “Oldest Town Man Falls in Bedroom, Breaks Leg,” Public Opinion, 16 Feb 1937, p. 1, col. 6.

[15] “Aged Man Critically Ill,” Public Opinion, 10 May 1937, p. 1, col. 1.

[16] “Aged Citizen Dies,” Public Opinion, 25 May 1937, p. 2, col. 1.

[17] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 3 June 1937, p. 20, col. 1-2.

[18] “Town Cane Given Fifth Recipient by Public Opinion,” Public Opinion, 1 July 1937, p. 1, col. 3.

[19] “Deaths: W. Paxton Slaughenhaup,” Public Opinion, 30 Mar 1938, p. 2, col. 2.

[20] “Town’s Oldest Citizen is Given Symbolic Cane,” Public Opinion, 12 May 1938, p. 1, col. 3.

[21] “Deaths: Wallace Holcomb,” Public Opinion, 16 June 1941, p. 2, col. 2.

[22] “Who Gets Town Cane?” Public Opinion, 15 July 1941, p. 1, col. 3.

Franklin County’s Town Canes (Part 1 of 4): History of the Town Cane

January 16, 2025 by anderso Leave a Comment

The concept of passing a Town Cane to the oldest living male resident began in Boston in 1909, mainly to improve newspaper sales. The Public Opinion newspaper copied the idea twenty years later when Chambersburg implemented the passing of its Town Cane in 1929. Waynesboro followed in 1934. However, people began inquiring into the whereabouts of Chambersburg’s Cane in 1956 and again in 2023. Although each recipient was well documented in over fifty newspaper articles, neither Chambersburg nor Waynesboro’s Town Cane has been located.

The Boston Post Town Cane

In 1891 Edwin Atkins Grozier purchased the Boston Post newspaper which was near bankruptcy. As its publisher and editor, he needed a plan to make his failing newspaper profitable. After bidding on an unclaimed shipment of walking canes, he devised a plan to increase the newspaper’s circulation. On 2 August 1909, Grozier sent letters and canes to approximately seven hundred selectmen (local government officials) in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island “with the request that it be presented with the compliments of the Boston Post to the oldest male citizen of the town, to be used by him as long as he lives.”

The canes were manufactured by J. F. Fradley and Company of New York in a year-long process. They were made from seven-foot lengths of Gaboon ebony from the African Congo. The canes were topped with a two-inch 14-carat gold head “engraved with the inscription, ‘Presented by the Boston Post to the oldest citizen of [town, state] (to be transmitted).’”^[1]

Although the “rules” seemed clear, questions arose as to who should receive the Cane. The Post’s staff were often asked to settle disputes regarding proof of age, residence, and voting status. The definition of “citizen” was also questioned:

The most common Question has been as to whether both sexes were eligible for the cane. The intention of the Post from the outset has been that the cane should be presented to the oldest male. The word “citizen” has been intended by the Post to mean the oldest registered male voter.^[2]

When the Equal Suffrage Amendment was ratified in 1920, the presentation of the Cane was eventually opened to women—in some places.

But not everyone was enthusiastic about receiving a symbol of a marketing scheme or their advancing age. It became harder to find people willing to take the Cane. “Others suspected a scam. A few were scared off by rumors of a curse, and to doom those who dared take the cane home. ‘People now think of it as a reminder of their age and limited time left’.”^[3] And canes were sometimes presented to the wrong person. Like the end of the passing of the Town Cane, the Boston Post folded in 1956. Over the years, many Canes were lost, stolen, removed from the town, or just not returned. To date only approximately five hundred original Town Canes have been located.

Pennsylvania’s First Town Cane

Weatherly in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, claims starting their Town Cane tradition earlier than 1909, but this has not been proven.^[4] Like the Post, this new tradition was used by the Weatherly Herald newspaper to improve its circulation.^[5] J. F. Kressley, Weatherly’s former chief burgess (town mayor), supposedly established the tradition in 1907. “It was the duty of the chief burgess publicly to present it to the oldest man remaining a resident of the borough.” By 1923 Weatherly boasted five recipients with the following inscription on their Town Cane: “Our Tribute to the Oldest Gentleman Resident of Weatherly, and His Successors. September 1907.”^[6] On 19 December 1928, Weatherly’s announcement of its seventh Town Cane recipient was printed in Chambersburg’s Public Opinion.^[7] Two days later, the newspaper asked its readers, “How does the Town Cane idea strike you?”^[8]

(To be continued in Part 2: Chambersburg’s Town Cane)

[1] The Boston Post Cane Information Center (https://bostonpostcane.org).

[2] Barbara Staples, “Launching of the Boston Post Cane,” The Bay State’s Boston Post Canes: The History of a New England Tradition (Flemming Press, 1999), 25-31.

[3] Jenna Russell, “Congratulations, You’re the Oldest Person in Town! Please Accept This Cane,” 20 Jan 2024, The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/20/us/congratulations-youre-the-oldest-person-in-town-please-accept-this-cane.html).

[4] Negative search for earlier evidence of Town Cane in Carbon County, 1907-1910.

[5] “Cane for Oldest Man,” Tunkhannock New Age (Tunkhannock, Penn.), 20 July 1911, p. 2, col.3.

[6] “Laden May Get Cane,” The Plain Speaker (Hazelton, Penn.), 22 Dec 1923, p. 8, col. 6.

[7] “Young, Rather Old, Gets Town Cane,” article from Weatherly, Public Opinion (Chambersburg, Penn.), 19 Dec 1928, p. 1, col. 6.

[8] “Some Private Opinions of Public Opinion,” 21 Dec 1928, p. 16, col. 2.

Researching House Histories: First the Family, Then the House

May 2, 2022 by anderso 2 Comments

One of the most frequently asked questions at our Historical Society and our Archives in Franklin County is, “How can I find when my house was built?” Following is a taste of our workshop, “Researching Franklin County House Histories.” When researching house histories, the most important principle is that you must research the family to research the house. However, another guideline is to find similar houses in the same area, that may provide clues to builders and time periods.

I’ve lived in my late 19^th century house since 1986. Unlike urban areas, my house sits alone in rural Franklin County, and it’s harder to find an exact duplicate. But driving to Greencastle, six miles southwest of where I live, there is a house that always attracted my attention—because it’s my house’s twin. The exterior has the same brick pattern, front porch style, side porches, slate roof, chimneys, windows, doors, etc. Photos of my house are on the left, and it’s twin are on the right.

But I’ve always wondered about the inside—until now. Through county tax records, I found the current owner and researched the title back to the earliest deeds. Like my house, there was no mention of the house itself—only the property. Like mine, it was likely built in the late 19^th century. I then contacted the owner, who invited me to see his house. Merritt and I spent about two hours talking about how our houses were similar.

His kitchen is still located where my original kitchen used to be. My former kitchen is now my dining room. My current kitchen is part of a 1970s addition. My former and his current kitchen also differ in that mine has a bay window, and his doesn’t, something he would love to have to let more light in. But both have the original wainscoting. Our basement doors are located in this room, and both have an exterior access.

Our interior doors, baseboard, and trim are also similar.

But I have transoms over the downstairs doorways.

And my floorboards are wider.

My double front doors are original. Merritt couldn’t find anyone to repair his and had to replace them with a sidelight and single door. But the transom and trim remain the same. Our tiny front entrance foyers are the same, with one room to the right and one to the left. However, Merritt removed wall sections on both sides of the main stairway to give it a more open feel, which brightens the whole area. His stairway had full walls on both sides, but mine is open on the top left with a railing on the second floor. One huge difference is that my house has a second back stairway leading into the former kitchen, and his only has the front stairs.

My first and second floor side porches (opposite side of his house) were enclosed by former owners to add hallways and a bathroom. His remain original, and they are awesome.

Neither of our houses had bathrooms in the 1800s, and the former owners chose different locations for our upstairs bathrooms. We both have identical second-floor closets, located under the stairways, that are accessed by going up 2 steps.

I then invited Merritt to my house, and he was also amazed at the likenesses. We believe our houses were built around the same time, don’t know by whom, but will continue to look for clues. Merritt will also be my guest at the 5-hour “Researching Franklin County House Histories” workshop on Monday, June 27 2022 that I am coordinating with the Franklin County Archives and Geographic Information Systems. It will be held at the Franklin County Visitors Bureau, one of our sponsors with the Franklin County Historical Society. To register, complete and return the Registration Form to [email protected].

Through researching my house history, I found more than my house’s twin. I found another historic house enthusiast. Maybe you will, too.

Frank Feather, Itinerant Carver

February 20, 2019 by anderso

Thank you to Shawn Meyers for help with the research, and editor Malissa Ruffner, CG for getting my first article for the Maryland Genealogical Society “journal ready”!

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