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August 2023
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
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DEARBORN
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publicity for his paper. The knobs were engraved with the inscrip- tion, “Presented by the Boston Post to the oldest resident of (name of town)- to be transmit- ted.” That meant as the holder of the cane moved out of town or died, the cane would then be passed on to the next oldest resi- dent. Initially, it was meant only for male recipients, but after sev- eral years, women also became eligible.
In Plymouth, like many other towns, the tradition was over- looked now and then, or the cane was lost for a time; some were later recovered tucked away in a home or even sold at a flea market when someone found one but didn’t understand its significance.
Last Thursday afternoon, Town Administrator Scott Weden had the pleasure of de- livering a replica of the cane to Virginia. The original is now kept in a display case at Plym- outh Town Hall. Included with the cane were a potted plant and a framed letter from the town officials, detailing some of her history and congratulating her on this unique distinction.
Virginia Lorraine Deach- man was born in North Wood- stock, N.H., on Dec. 25, 1924, to William John Deachman and his wife, Harriet Annie Griffin. When she was three, the family moved to Plymouth, where she
lento), William, and Pamela (Miller).
It was Pam who gave the town Virginia’s name for con- sideration of the Boston Post cane distinction and was excited when the town verified that her mother is indeed the oldest resident, living in the town for more than the last ten years, as required. When she told her mother the news, Virginia’s re- action was, “What do they want to do, ‘off’ me?” After a laugh, she then smiled and said, “Well, I could use a cane!”
Pam said her mom was also happy that she could share the news with her younger brother, Ross, who is an attorney in town. Virginia was still excited and held onto her new cane last week and commented, “I had no idea!”
At the age of 98, Virginia not only maintains her great sense of humor but is still quite active, reading her many books, doing jigsaw puzzles, tending to her house plants, and bird-watching out the living room window. She said she also loves watching the horses in the field behind her home.
Virginia had a bout with can- cer last year, but her daughter said she is now in good health and enjoying life in the town she has called home for over 95 years as she looks forward to her 99th birthday on Christmas Day.
Come make a Nature Journal at Grey Rocks!
Community
PHOTO BY DONNA RHODES
Virginia Dearborn was all smiles when she was presented the Boston Post Cane for the Town of Plymouth last week. Besides the replica of the original cane, she received a framed congratulatory letter from the town along with a flowering plant.
grew up on Pleasant Street, the second of four children- Wil- liam and younger siblings, Pris- cilla and Ross. After high school, she went on to graduate from Plymouth Teachers College and began her life-long career as a teacher at Beebe River, Camp- ton, Thornton, and Holderness elementary schools. She later at- tended summer classes at Plym- outh State, where she earned her Masters degree.
In 1946, Virginia married Frank E. Dearborn, a union that lasted 50 years until Frank’s death in 1996. Over those years, the couple made their home in Plymouth, where they raised their three children, Vicki (Ci-
HEBRON – How do you interact with the Newfound Lake Watershed? Join the New- found Lake Region Association (NLRA) Watershed Steward Is- abella Giancola at Grey Rocks Conservation Area on Thurs- day, August 3rd, at 10:00 a.m. to explore this question and create your own nature journal! You’ll follow a guided walk through Floodplain Loop Trail; learn about different wetland species and how they interact with the Newfound Lake Watershed; and take pictures, gather leaves, seeds, and anything else you find to add to your journal. After the walk, add your observations to your journal, including words, poems, species ID information, drawings, leaf pressings, and anything else that you feel fits your answer to the question: “How do you interact with the Newfound Lake Watershed?”
A watershed is an area that funnels water from rain, runoff,
and snowmelt into a common body of water. In this case, the Newfound Lake Watershed in- cludes the town of Hebron and areas in Alexandria, Bridgewa- ter, Bristol, Danbury, Dorchester, Groton, Orange, and Plymouth. The Newfound Lake Watershed is an important habitat for many different native species and pro- vides a fantastic area for people to explore. By creating a nature journal for your explorations in the watershed, you can tune in to your surroundings, keep track of your observations, and encour- age yourself to learn about your environment.
The NLRA offers a variety of other free programs through- out the year that are open to the public and cover a variety of nature and conservation topics. The guided exploration programs are presented by the
GREY ROCKS
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Sadie’s Daisies Greenhouse
4" Pots Annuals Hanging Plants
Over 60 Varieties of Perennials 14 Varieties of Geraniums
Summer Hours: Wed.-Sun. 9-5pm
(603) 359-3622 • 50 Groton Rd, Hebron