Pringle Tree
The Pringle Tree is a historic site near Buckhannon, West Virginia, associated with brothers John and Samuel Pringle. From about 1764 to 1767, the brothers lived in the hollow of a large American sycamore near the confluence of Turkey Run and the Buckhannon River in present-day Upshur County.[1]
History
[edit]John and Samuel Pringle deserted from British-American forces at Fort Pitt and lived on the run in the wilderness. In 1764, while employed by trapper John Simpson, they joined him in moving farther west. After crossing the Cheat River, they had an argument with Simpson and the brothers separated from him. The Pringles continued up the Tygart Valley River and eventually reached the Buckhannon River, where they took shelter in the hollow sycamore near the mouth of Turkey Run.[2]
In 1768, John Pringle returned from a trip to the South Branch settlements with news that the brothers were no longer considered fugitives. They left the tree, and by 1769 had returned to the Buckhannon Valley with a group of settlers.[3]
Later trees and commemoration
[edit]The original Pringle Tree no longer survives. The sycamore standing at the site now is described as the third generation of the original tree and is said to have grown from its roots.[3] The site is marked by several historical markers, including a monument erected by the Elizabeth Zane Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1922 and later markers added by the state of West Virginia.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ↑ Tenney, Noel W. (February 9, 2024). "Pringle Tree". e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. West Virginia Humanities Council.
- ↑ Withers, Alexander Scott (1895). Thwaites, Reuben Gold (ed.). Chronicles of Border Warfare. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke Company. pp. 118–119.
- 1 2 Tenney, Noel W. (February 9, 2024). "Pringle Tree". e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. West Virginia Humanities Council.
- ↑ "The Pringle Tree". Historical Marker Database.
- ↑ "Pringle Tree". Historical Marker Database.