A Passion for Community, Preservation and Interpretation
Tribute to Mary Ann Peckham
The Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association Board and members join a community of battlefield preservationists, both in Tennessee and nationally, in celebrating the life of our friend, Mary Ann Peckham (1951-2022). Mary Ann was a great preservation advocate who loved her work as Executive Director of TCWPA. She always had a smile, a funny story and was quick to offer a hand to others working in the area of Civil War preservation. Mary Ann’s passion for preservation inspired many people in Tennessee and beyond.
Throughout her distinguished career she shared her passion for community, preservation and interpretation through her service to the U.S. Park Service with her first assignment at Custer Battlefield in Montana followed by work at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, The Blue Ridge Parkway, and finally as the Superintendent at Stones River National Battlefield. She had special assignments in historical research and interpretation at Ft. Sumter and Tuskegee Park Service sites. She retired from federal service in 2001 but continued working in the public interest through historical preservation and education for two more decades. In 2017, she was awarded the State Preservation Leadership Award by American Battlefield Trust.
Her passion for history, relationships she made in Tennessee and nationally, and dedication to cultural preservation led her to serve as Executive Director of the Tennessee Civil War Preservation Association, an organization dedicated to protecting, interpreting, and making accessible Tennessee’s surviving Civil War battlefields. She left lasting accomplishments and relationships in the places she worked and lived, but most importantly through the people she touched. Her passion for a principled and independent life were part of her core being. She deeply valued living at her cabin in the mountains of East Tennessee tending the fire, splitting the wood, and connecting with neighbors and the land.
In honor of Mary Ann’s legacy of work, TCWPA has established a special fund to preserve and protect Tennessee’s Civil War battlefields. On behalf of the TCWPA Board and members we are pleased to announce the Mary Ann Peckham fund has now raised more than $5,000 for Civil War battlefield preservation.
