Seen the Glory

The name Mark Thrash lives on as legend for good reason. He was a folklore institution even during Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park’s earliest days, regaling park visitors at his cabin on site with anecdotes and reminiscences about local history and Civil War notables he had met. In his 123 years, Thrash was married 5 times, had 29 children, and, as a park employee from 1893-1922, was the oldest person ever on the United States Government payroll and then pension—when he retired at the age of 101.

In Seen the Glory, Addison examines the man behind the white apron, memorializing Thrash as a chief symbol and earliest promoter of the park’s preservation. Thrash believed it was important for Americans to forget their differences and stick together for the good of the United States, and hoped that this nation will never be divided again, that it will always be united. Even in death, Mark Thrash continues to inspire park visitors, this imparting wisdom still resonant today.


Product Details

• Historical nonfiction/biographical
• 74 pages, approx. 6x 9, soft cover
• Text by Stephen O. Addison
• Printed in USA, published by Eastern National