Walking Cane

Object/Artifact

-

Patrick Henry's Red Hill

Name/Title

Walking Cane

Entry/Object ID

78.49

Description

Crude walking cane. Probably made from an oak sapling. Knobby, worn handle. Knots were not trimmed close and have worn smooth. Copper protector cap at base.

Collection

Patrick & Dorothea Henry Collection

Made/Created

Date made

1770 - 1799

Dimensions

Length

48 in

Diameter

1-3/4 in

Material

Wood

Provenance

Notes

This cane reportedly belonged to Patrick Henry. It later came into possession of his great-granddaughter, Lucy Gray Henry Harrison (1857–1944), who gave it to her farm manager, John Shorter. Shorter passed it on to his brother, Edward Shorter, who gave it to the donor, his son, George Edward Shorter, of Darlington Heights, Virginia. The Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation accepted the walking cane on June 1, 1978, as an indefinite loan from George Edward Shorter. In November 2022, PHMF staff attempted to contact the descendants of Mr. Shorter to renew or terminate the loan. After exhausting all avenues of contact, the cane was considered abandoned property and accessioned into the collection on January 11, 2023.