Tacks…were they an Eastern thing?

[brazosland]

Specifically looking at adding a few to a hawk handle, but it occurred to me that tacks (and to a large degree, fringe) were more of a Western thing than an Eastern one.

Any opinions on that? Were tacks used East of the Mississippi prior to 1800?

 

[blackeagle]

I wondered the same recently. I'm not a fan of tacks (or fringe) but I never tried to figure out their origin. I love the look of a well stained and finished wood stock with or without carving. Anything else is just...tacky.

 

[tenngun]

Tacking became common in the west. And for all the Mountian Man stuff full of tacks it doesn’t seem to be a thing until late, maybe post 1850s
And it was most common in north plains slowly moving south
We just don’t see anything in paintings drawings or archeology to associate with colonial or early federalist times.
Tomahawks were weapons and not tools. We might look to eastren style carving to decorate a handle more then tacking
Handle enhancements for grip just doesn’t seem very common in native or white culture at the time

 

[wiscoaster]

I got an "Ethiopian discovery" Italian Carcano carbine from Royal Tiger Imports. Wished I had taken a pic because the stock was loaded with tacks. I don't think it's anything to do with East or West or even American for that matter.

 

[ETipp]

Definitely not only an eastern thing. Jim Beckwourth’s rifle was decorated with tacks.

 

[rich pierce]

Seed beads were used in the east by Native Americans to decorate many things including guns.

 

[LRB]

Definitely not only an eastern thing. Jim Beckwourth’s rifle was decorated with tacks.

Mostly mountain man times. Post 1800. Little to near none in the 18th C. East. Original brass tacks in the west were cast in one piece and were not quite as high domed as now.