Samuel Smith White Pine #6

Pinus strobus

In 1832, seventy-year-old Samuel Smith brought a party of 350 settlers including his family through the Cumberland Gap to settle in Tennessee. He was given a thousand acres of land in Montgomery County as a pension for his service in the Revolutionary War.

In his saddlebags were six white pine seedlings from his native state of North Carolina. He planted them on his home site, on what is now the Fort Campbell Army Base. One of the white pines still stands, overlooking his grave in Samuel Smith Cemetery.

In 1976, in honor of the United States Bicentennial celebrations, soldiers from Fort Campbell undertook a massive operation to clean the gravesite, where they held a ceremony of dedication to the old soldier. A large bronze plaque stands near the tall white pine in tribute to Samuel Smith’s contributions to his country.

Landmark Tree, 2003 • Nominated by Rob Niemann • Photograph by Shane Moore

Samuel Smith White Pine