Tacketts Pine grew from the crest of a rocky ridge along the lower Kanawha River near the ferry at Pliny and across the river from Buffalo, West Virginia, in Putnam County.
According to legend, pioneer Lewis Tackett was captured by Shawnee at his home near the mouth of the Coal River at Saint Albans, West Virginia, and was bound to a tree here. According to most versions of the tale, while his captors were off hunting, a rainstorm wet his leather bindings, and Tackett was able to escape. He later established a fort near the mouth of the Coal River, which was afterward attacked by Shawnee.
In Supplemental Volume One of the West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, editor Jim Comstock reported that the pioneer taken captive was Samuel Sackett.
The point of land on which the pine long stood is still a well-known landmark along old US-35.
Map showing former site of Tacketts Pine
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