diff --git a/doc/xml/release.xml b/doc/xml/release.xml
index 71adc3e83..bfc7c4de8 100644
--- a/doc/xml/release.xml
+++ b/doc/xml/release.xml
@@ -165,6 +165,8 @@
     <release-list>
         <release date="XXXX-XX-XX" version="1.20dev" title="UNDER DEVELOPMENT">
             <release-core-list>
+                <p><b>IMPORTANT NOTE</b>: <postgres/> <proper>8.3</proper> and <proper>8.4</proper> installations utilizing tablespaces should upgrade immediately from any <id>1.XX</id> release and run a full backup.  A bug prevented tablespaces from being backed up on these versions only.  <postgres/> &amp;ge; <proper>9.0</proper> is not affected.</p>
+
                 <release-bug-list>
                     <release-item>
                         <release-item-contributor-list>
@@ -173,6 +175,10 @@
 
                         <p>Fixed missing flag in C library build that resulted in a mismatched binary on 32-bit systems.</p>
                     </release-item>
+
+                    <release-item>
+                        <p>Fixed an issue that prevented tablespaces from being backed up on <postgres/> &amp;le; <proper>8.4</proper>.</p>
+                    </release-item>
                 </release-bug-list>
 
                 <release-feature-list>
diff --git a/lib/pgBackRest/Manifest.pm b/lib/pgBackRest/Manifest.pm
index 2342fa4d3..d9e60e734 100644
--- a/lib/pgBackRest/Manifest.pm
+++ b/lib/pgBackRest/Manifest.pm
@@ -800,7 +800,12 @@ sub build
 
             if ($bTablespace)
             {
-                $strFilter = $self->tablespacePathGet();
+                # Only versions >= 9.0  have the special top-level tablespace path.  Below 9.0 the database files are stored
+                # directly in the path referenced by the symlink.
+                if ($strDbVersion >= PG_VERSION_90)
+                {
+                    $strFilter = $self->tablespacePathGet();
+                }
 
                 $self->set(MANIFEST_SECTION_TARGET_PATH, MANIFEST_TARGET_PGTBLSPC, undef,
                            $self->get(MANIFEST_SECTION_TARGET_PATH, MANIFEST_TARGET_PGDATA));
diff --git a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Real/RealAllTest.pm b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Real/RealAllTest.pm
index c6fc73b64..b5fb0d0cc 100644
--- a/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Real/RealAllTest.pm
+++ b/test/lib/pgBackRestTest/Module/Real/RealAllTest.pm
@@ -529,7 +529,10 @@ sub run
 
         $oHostDbMaster->sqlExecute(
             "create tablespace ts1 location '" . $oHostDbMaster->tablespacePath(1) . "'", {bAutoCommit => true});
-        $oHostDbMaster->sqlExecute("alter table test set tablespace ts1", {bCheckPoint => true});
+        $oHostDbMaster->sqlExecute("alter table test set tablespace ts1");
+
+        # Create a table in the tablespace that will not be modified again to be sure it does get full page writes in the WAL later
+        $oHostDbMaster->sqlExecute("create table test_exists (id int) tablespace ts1", {bCommit => true, bCheckPoint => true});
 
         # Create a table in the tablespace
         $oHostDbMaster->sqlExecute("create table test_remove (id int)");
@@ -681,6 +684,47 @@ sub run
         $oHostDbMaster->clusterStart();
         $oHostDbMaster->sqlSelectOneTest('select message from test', $bTestLocal ? $strNameMessage : $strIncrMessage);
 
+        # The tablespace path should exist and have files in it
+        my $strTablespacePath = $oHostDbMaster->tablespacePath(1);
+
+        # Version <= 8.4 always places a PG_VERSION file in the tablespace
+        if ($oHostDbMaster->pgVersion() <= PG_VERSION_84)
+        {
+            if (!storageDb()->exists("${strTablespacePath}/" . DB_FILE_PGVERSION))
+            {
+                confess &log(ASSERT, "unable to find '" . DB_FILE_PGVERSION . "' in tablespace path '${strTablespacePath}'");
+            }
+        }
+        # Version >= 9.0 creates a special path using the version and catalog number
+        else
+        {
+            # Backup info will have the catalog number
+            my $oBackupInfo = new pgBackRest::Common::Ini(
+                storageRepo()->pathGet(STORAGE_REPO_BACKUP . qw{/} . FILE_BACKUP_INFO),
+                {bLoad => false, strContent => ${storageRepo()->get(STORAGE_REPO_BACKUP . qw{/} . FILE_BACKUP_INFO)}});
+
+            # Construct the special path
+            $strTablespacePath .=
+                '/PG_' . $oHostDbMaster->pgVersion() . qw{_} . $oBackupInfo->get(INFO_BACKUP_SECTION_DB, INFO_BACKUP_KEY_CATALOG);
+
+            # Check that path exists
+            if (!storageDb()->pathExists($strTablespacePath))
+            {
+                confess &log(ASSERT, "unable to find tablespace path '${strTablespacePath}'");
+            }
+        }
+
+        # Make sure there are some files in the tablespace path (exclude PG_VERSION if <= 8.4 since that was tested above)
+        if (grep(!/^PG\_VERSION$/i, storageDb()->list($strTablespacePath)) == 0)
+        {
+            confess &log(ASSERT, "no files found in tablespace path '${strTablespacePath}'");
+        }
+
+        # This table should exist to prove that the tablespace was restored.  It has not been updated since it was created so it
+        # should not be created by any full page writes.  Once it is verified to exist it can be dropped.
+        $oHostDbMaster->sqlSelectOneTest("select count(*) from test_exists", 0);
+        $oHostDbMaster->sqlExecute('drop table test_exists');
+
         # Now it should be OK to drop database test2
         if ($bTestLocal)
         {