A note from executive director Bethany Groff Dorau -

When this cane appeared at a New Jersey auction house, I did a bit of research to confirm its provenance and learn about its owner and maker (the same person, in this case). In the course of learning about John Burke, I came to love how this New Hampshire-born man, whose parents had immigrated from Ireland, became so much a part of the fabric of his adopted city that he walked down her streets with her history as his cherished accessory. John Burke was not born into an old Newbury family. When he arrived, he worked in shoe factories and lived in tenements in the South End. He spent his adult life taking this city by storm, one civic organization at a time. His deep affection for Newburyport is clear. This cane, which he refers to as "The Masterpiece" in one article, is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and devotion.

When we won this item at auction, I waited eagerly for its arrival, and then, lo and behold, as often happens on such occasions, the wonderful world of John Burke revealed itself, serendipitously, not to me, but to Sierra...

Read the title story following event announcements!

Upcoming Museum Events

History of Old Newbury in 3 Drinks: Part II: RUM 1700-1800

Friday, March 22, 2024, 6:30 PM (sold out)

NEW DATE ADDED: Saturday March 23, 2024 6:30 PM

Using Your DNA Test for Genealogy

Wednesday, April 3 and Wednesday, April 10 2024, Noon - 1:00 PM

Splendor in the Grass: Art Inspired by the Great Marsh

Thursday, April 18, 2024, 7:00 PM

45th Old Newbury Garden Tour

Saturday, June 8 and Sunday June 9, 2024 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

A Newburyport Walking Cane Comes Home

...by Sierra Gitlin, collections and administrative assistant

HAND-CARVED HANDLE: The whalebone handle of John Burke's Newburyport cane

Until a few weeks ago, I wasn’t particularly interested in walking canes. I definitely wasn’t interested in probation officers. But when those two subjects meet in a centuries-spanning Newburyport story, I am hooked! The Museum recently acquired a most fascinating example of a handmade walking cane, constructed by Newburyport’s first probation officer, John Burke. It is an extraordinary piece of woodwork, not only because of its fine execution and aesthetic beauty, but because it is a historically significant and sentimental object, made with love and dedication by a craftsman who obviously cared a great deal about Newburyport, and so therefore we love it, and its maker!



The cane is made of an amalgamation of 30, inch-long wood square samples of prominent local landmarks, buildings, ships, and objects, attached together and tapered to a metal-capped tip. Each section is carved and painted with its source and the date, which range from the Newbury’s Poor Tavern in 1640 to the Plum Island Life Saving Station in 1890. The heavy whale-bone knob handle features a carved hand and the words “This cane was made 1894 by John Burke” and mysteriously, “In use Dover NH 1820.” Burke was born in Dover NH to Irish immigrant parents, but not until 1834, so your guess is as good as ours. 

ALL FOUR SIDES: Its not the easiest thing to photograph a four-sided cane!

The samples were clearly collected over the course of lifetimes, many of them by people other than Mr. Burke himself, as they date from long before he was born. Some, like the one labeled “William Lloyd Garrison, 1744” create more questions than they answer. Perhaps Burke was more of a collector and craftsman than he was historian? Garrison wasn’t born until 1805, and the house he was born in, next door to the Old South Church on School Street, was built in 1800. The bit of the Samuel Danforth House, dated 1796, is curious because Danforth didn’t move into what was the Jackman-Willett house (located on the Newbury Lower Green) until 1800.

Others are quite accurate: The piece of Old South Church is dated 1756, the year the current meetinghouse was constructed (notably, built in just 3 days by 150 men.) The piece of the USS Constitution, (not Newburyport-related but apparently too special to resist) dated 1797, the year Old Ironsides was completed and launched out of Boston. (Ironically, it is the only sample that has a crack in it – likely because it spent its previous life under water.) The 1839 piece of the Brig Pocahontas, the last ship built by the Cushing Family, did wreck off Plum Island that year, two days before Christmas, killing all aboard and leaving little to be salvaged, aside from the stern board and bell, along with other items, which are part of the MooN’s collection.

OLD IRONSIDES: Detail of the crack in the block from the USS Constitution

Though Burke was not a native of the city, he had spent enough time and was enough in the community to be well-known, so much so that when the Daily News published the announcement of his appointment as Newburyport’s first Probation Officer on June 24, 1891, they called him “one of our most respected citizens.” His affinity for Newburyport was apparent, not only in the cane he made, but in the many organizations he belonged to: he served for many years as Treasurer of the Neptunes Veterans Fireman’s Association and became commander of G.A.R. Post 49 in 1898. (Not coincidentally, the cane includes pieces of the Neptunes Hand Tub No. 6 from 1839 and Grand Army Hall from 1854.) 

Burke’s Civil War service was aboard the gunboat R.R. Cuyler which served blockade duty off the coast of Florida and North Carolina for the Union Navy. He was a member of the Red Men, Knights of Pythias, American Mechanics, and, according to the paper, “six other social organizations.” At the time of his appointment, he had been working at the E.P. Dodge Shoe Factory for 15 years, another part of his life commemorated within the cane with a piece of said factory dated 1872.

Other pieces include an 1868 bit of a velocipede built by bicycle maker and accomplished racer (and builder of my house!) Henry T. Moody; Newburyport City Hall, 1851 (the year we became a City); several of our churches, the City Grist Mill (1796); the Wolfe Tavern (1762), Old Market House (1822) and the Great Fire of 1811. A mysterious square we haven’t figured out yet says “In memory of Joseph Burke 1885.” Perhaps a brother, but we can’t prove it by census or other records. 

TWO OF A NAME? Identifying John Burke, cane-maker, required careful comparison of newpaper photos, census information, and city directories.

The acquisition of this fascinating piece of “Port-iana” led, as these things often do, to new (to us) discoveries within our own collection. The records here at the MooN, kept by numerous people, in numerous ways, over several generations, can be spotty, and we sometimes find that there are no records associated with an item. Frustrating, but also fun, because then we get to solve a mystery.  

LANDMARKS: Places and people important to Newburyport (and Burke) are commemorated.

I started researching Mr. Burke in the local papers and found several articles in the Newburyport Public Library's online newspaper archive about his cane making and collection. One 1909 article described in detail a cane Burke made to commemorate the old Boston & Maine Railroad tunnel, which had recently been replaced by the High Street bridge. The head, carved from a piece of cherry wood taken from the old Winter Street station, is in the form of the tunnel in miniature, complete with stonework and a section of tiny track running through it. Embedded on top was the inspired detail of a B&M railroad conductor’s coat button. The stick is made of a piece of elm root dug from the tunnel, which was built in 1840. I went to the front hall of the Museum, where we have several canes in an umbrella stand, just to see if there was anything of interest. My hand landed on it immediately. It was thrilling to pull out the very miniature train tunnel-handled cane about which I had just been reading. I could hardly believe my eyes!

A SPECIAL FIND: This wonderful cane capped with miniature B&M Railroad tunnel was hiding in plain sight here at the MooN!

Back to the newspaper archives I went, to see what else I could find out about Burke, and I hoped, about our collection. In the same umbrella stand were two nearly identical wood canes with smooth knob handles. Each had carvings on their sticks which said, “Made from tower of Chain Bridge Newburyport Mass 1810-1910.” (The Old Chain Bridge had been replaced by a look-alike in 1910). One was plain but the other had an engraved sterling silver collar indicating it had been presented to W.E. Bean on April 24, 1910. I found an April 25, 1910 article noting that Mr. Bean had been presented with the cane for his 58th birthday the day before, but nothing about the cane’s maker. The script of the carved shaft looked familiar however.

A MATCHING SET: The carvings on the Chain Bridge canes certainly looked similar to our new Burke cane.

After just a few more minutes searching the archive, I found it: a 1910 ad for “Chain Bridge Canes and other souvenirs made of the original wood of the Chain Bridge, orders taken by John Burke, 50 Bromfield St.” Huzzah! 

EUREKA! The 1910 newspaper ad connecting John Burke to the Museum's Chain Bridge canes.

A 1908 Daily News article, which features a (rather poor quality) photo of Mr. Burke, tells of his collection of nearly 400 canes. He made many of them himself, and the article speaks of his craftsmanship, creativity, and the historic and commemorative nature of many of his creations. He had made two canes out of baseball bats used when the Boston Americans beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in game eight of the 1903 World Series (the first!). Another had been made of over 350 pieces of sole leather (from shoe making) which had been turned and polished. A cane the newspaper called “one of the handsomest,” was made of over 500 different colored pieces of celluloid. He made one out of the backbone of a large shark he caught himself off the coast of Key West, and one from a 190-year-old Newbury Elm tree. 

John Burke died in 1915 at the age of 80, but in 1945, the Daily News was still talking about him. His creations made up most of the 250 canes in local antiques dealer David Harnch’s collection, several of which were displayed at the library in November of that year. It is enticing to think where the others ended up, and just how the one the MooN bought ended up in a New Jersey auction house. Once a symbol of refinement for gentlemen of style and class, walking canes had largely disappeared as fashion items post WW1. Among the 25 or so we have at the museum, three contain hidden swords, and at least two were brought back from China by Caleb Cushing himself. 

WHY DO MEN CARRY CANES? This December 24, 1861 Daily News opinion piece seems skeptical about their fashion-worthiness.

Burke’s obituary in the Daily News included a photo of him, but the image quality is not very good. We were hoping to find a better one for this article, not to mention our own curiosity. While poking around in a random box of photos last week, I happened upon this image of the Neptunes Veterans Fireman’s Association, taken at a Manchester N.H. muster in 1899. I’d seen it before but had had no personal connection to it. This time, I noticed the men’s VFA belt buckles and just had a feeling Mr. Burke would be in it. 

MUSTER-READY: This 1899 image of the Neptunes Veterans Fireman's Association is part of our collection.

I pulled out my magnifying glass and recognized him immediately, front and center, by the shape of his bushy mustache and deep-set eyes.

SIDE-BY-SIDE: this comparison confirmed I'd found Mr. Burke.

I can't help thinking that Mr. Burke wanted to be found. I am certain he would be quite pleased that this cane has come home to Newburyport, and that his labor of love -- preserving the memories of this City in such a unique and thoughtful way– is so deeply appreciated, over 100 years after his death. 

John Burke's final resting place in Highland Cemetery, where he's buried beside his wife, Mary (Sayward) and his son, John W. (photo courtesy of Ghlee Woodworth)

Something Is Always Cooking...

Shepherd’s Pie with Chard-Lentil Filling

adapted from The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook

image courtesy of joanne-eatswellwithothers.com

This recipe, perfect for early spring dinners, is not simple, but we have found it well worth the time and trouble. Bonus: it's vegetarian and good for you!

Ingredients

Wine-Braised Lentils

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 sprig fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried

1/2 cup dried brown or green lentils

2 tbsp sherry or red wine

3/4 to 1 cup water

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

Onion Gravy

3 tbsp butter

2 cups onions, sliced thinly into half moons

1 or 2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 cups water

1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

Shepherd’s Pie

1 recipe wine-braised lentils

1 recipe onion gravy

2 lb medium potatoes, quartered

2 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole

ground black pepper

3 tbsp almond milk or lowfat/skim milk

3 to 4 cups Swiss chard (from 1 bunch), washed, stemmed and chopped/torn into ribbons

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

For the lentils:

• In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, carrot and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, until slightly softened. 
• Add the lentils and stir to cook. Add the sherry or red wine and bring to a lively simmer. The wine will reduce a bit. 
• Add 3/4 cup of the water. Return to a lively simmer, then lower the heat, cover and cook until fork tender, about 40 minutes. 
• Add water as needed while cooking so that lentils don’t dry out completely. 
• Stir in 1/4 tsp salt, taste, and add more salt if necessary.

For the gravy:

• In a deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions and thyme. Toss to coat the onions with the butter and cook over medium-low heat until softened, reduced, and jamlike, about 25 minutes.
• Add the balsamic vinegar, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Add the water and bring to a lively simmer. 
• Reduce by half, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for an additional 5 minutes. The gravy will continue to reduce. Stir in the salt and sugar, and taste. Finish with soy sauce.

For the pie:

• Grease a 9-inch pie plate. 
• Fill a medium-size sauce pan with 4 cups of water. 
• Add the potatoes and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the whole garlic.
• Return the lid and cook until fork-tender, about 30 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 350.

• With a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes and garlic to a large mixing bowl and mash with a hand mixer. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid as necessary to moisten the potatoes. Add a bit of milk and stir in vigorously with a wooden spoon. Taste for salt, pepper, and texture and season and stir accordingly. Mashed potatoes should be smooth and well-seasoned.

• In a large skillet, spray with cooking spray and, over medium heat, cook the chard with the chopped garlic until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes, regularly tossing with the tongs to coat evenly. 
• Stir in the nutmeg and season with more salt to taste. 
• Transfer to a medium-size bowl.
• Stir the lentils into the chard.

Assemble the pie:

• Transfer the chard mixture to the greased pie plate. 
• Top with the mashed potatoes and smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Top with grated parmesan cheese.
• Place the dish in the oven and heat through, 20 to 25 minutes. 
• During the final 2 minutes of cooking, set the oven to broil and brown the cheesy mashed potato topping. Remove from the oven, slice into wedges and eat hot with a ladleful of onion gravy.

Puzzle Me This...

Click the image to do the puzzle



These are three of the four John Burke canes in the Museum's collection.