Gov. Patrick Plans Ceremonial Exit From Beacon Hill

As he nears the conclusion of his eight years in office, Gov. Deval Patrick is planning his exit from Beacon Hill.

The governor's office says Patrick will make the traditional "lone walk" down the front steps of the Statehouse on Jan. 7, one day before his successor, Republican Charlie Baker, takes the oath of office.

In the past, the walk has occurred around the same time as the swearing-in of the new governor, but Mitt Romney also did it one day early in 2007.

Prior to leaving the Statehouse, Patrick and Baker will observe another tradition: Trading gifts during a private meeting.

Those gifts include a ceremonial pewter key to the governor's office; a bible left by Gov. Benjamin Butler in 1884; and a gavel made from the original oak frame of U.S.S. Constitution.