Lost (stolen), found and sold: 48 portraits from Herb Peck's prized collection, plundered in 1978 Nashville burglary, have new homes after auction

Florida soldier with carbine; siblings with 3rd Tennessee (Fleischer's Auctions)

Forty-eight photographs, mostly of young Southern men toting rifles, Bowie knives, revolvers and fierce gazes, sold for $259,000 (excluding buyer’s premium) at a weekend auction, pleasing the widow and son of an esteemed collector who curated the images before they were stolen in 1978.

The family of Herb Peck Jr. enlisted the help of law enforcement, other collectors and Military Images magazine in their hunt for 117 images taken during a burglary at their Nashville home.

Peck  began collecting in the 1950s ahead of the Civil War centennial, amassing one of the “premier collections of Civil War portrait photography at a time when the genre’s importance was only first being realized,” said Fleischer’s Auctions.

Peck died at age 67 in 2004 before any of the photographs were recovered. One was located in 2006, 39 were seized during a 2020 raid and eight more were returned in the past year.

Herb Peck Jr. with some of his photos in the 1970s. (Fleischer's Auctions)

Fleischer’s Auctions said representatives of the family attended the three-hour Saturday sale in Columbus, Ohio.

“It’s been an emotional process for everyone involved,” the company said in an email to The Civil War Picket.

Adam Fleischer, in a social media post after the sale, said high interest in the photographs reflected Peck’s eye for quality. “The Peck family's decision to share Herb’s captivating images with the public, following decades of uncertainty, resonated deeply with collectors and history enthusiasts alike.”

The top seller Saturday was lot 45, entitled “Confederate with Colt Revolving Rifle.” It went for $32,200 with the buyer’s premium. The subject wears an outdated cap topped by a havelock and holds a Model 1855 Colt revolving rifle. It’s possible he was from Virginia, according to Fleischer’s.

“This is a masterpiece of Southern photography and I chose it for the cover (left) that featured the story about Herb's collection,” Ronald S. Coddington, editor and publisher of Military Images, told the Picket. (Fleischer’s Auctions is an advertiser with the magazine)

Behind that was lot 34, entitled “Masterful Character Study,” which realized $24,300 with the buyer’s premium. The portrait depicts James and Calvin Walker of the 3^rd Tennessee Infantry. Calvin was killed in action in Georgia in 1864, with an eyewitness noting that nothing was left of his head after he was hit by artillery shrapnel but “"...[a] chin and rather long whiskers.”

Images going for high prices included a Tennessee infantryman, Florida soldier with carbine and a Confederate private armed with a Model 1842 musket, Bowie knife, and pair of large Colt Navy revolvers.

Coddington said he found lot 28, a photograph of a Confederate first sergeant, to be particularly compelling (right, courtesy Fleischer's Auctions).

He cites “the focal clarity of the image, the look of the soldier, the way he holds his saber and the unusual paper mat that was likely used as a substitute for brass mats that were unavailable in the South due to the blockade and loss of territory.”

Ahead of the sale, Fleischer’s Auctions said the collection was once thought lost forever.

Coddington, in a Military Images article about Peck, said photographs from the collection were published in “The Civil War” by Ken Burns and in more than 50 books, magazines and articles, including Time-Life’s “The Civil War” series, the “Confederate Faces” series and “Civil War Times.”

Burglars hit the Peck home in September 1978, making away with 117 images, cameras and more than a dozen weapons.

Law enforcement agencies in Tennessee and the FBI worked on the case as several photographs appeared for sale on online sites. The FBI office in Indianapolis netted one image in 2006.

Peck’s son asked Military Images to revive the case in 2016 and he created a poster showing many of the photographs. The FBI and police in Ethridge, Tenn., recovered 39 images in an October 2020 raid. Eight more turned up later. (Southern musicians with fife and drum, left)

About 70 photographs are still to be recovered, according to Coddington. The publisher says the family is committed to their return. “Due to the active nature of the investigation and concerns from the family about jeopardizing the investigation, this is all I am able to state at this time.”

Saturday’s auction must have brought some satisfaction to Peck’s family.

Peck’s widow, Felicity, previously told Military Images: “I remember how distressed the collectors were at the time of the burglary. It has always been a comfort to me that others care about the importance of these images as historical, visible and tangible evidence of this country.”

Saving a Civil War survivor: Restoration crews are pouring TLC and talents into the Adam Strain building in coastal Darien, Ga.

Views of the work late last month (Marion Savic photo left, others Civil War Picket)

Joe Kasper used to build custom houses in Vermont. There was just one problem: He didn’t like building them in winter. Kasper moved south a few years back, trading the chilly weather for milder temperatures in Bluffton, S.C. – a fast-growing city between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Ga.

Of course, living on the Southern Atlantic coast brought the requisite heat and humidity, especially when you toil outside or in unairconditioned places.

Kasper was dealing with both when my wife and I recently stopped by Darien, Ga., late one morning to check on the extensive restoration of the Adam Strain Building -- a tabby structure that survived the controversial burning of the Georgia town during the Civil War.

The Strain, damaged in the fire, has stood amid palm trees on a bluff of the small port city since circa 1813-1815. Tabby ruins of other businesses lie just below the site and Darien’s famous shrimp fleet is just to the east.

Revitalizing the Strain is a labor of love for Milan and Marion Savic, whose family operates a modern-day general store and restaurant in Darien, about 60 miles below Savannah. The couple has spent three years and no small amount of money to save and restore the building, which was long vacant and in real danger of collapse.

For Kasper, 63, (right) and others working for Savannah-based Landmark Preservation, restoring the Strain and an adjoining one-story building is a labor of pure craftsmanship and sweat equity. The work is being supported by Ethos Preservation in Savannah.

Two hundred-plus years had done its work on the two-story building. A wall has a pronounced lean, the back wall facing a creek was hanging by a prayer and other areas were in need of structural stability – all of that has been addressed and crews are currently working on rebuilding the back wall.

The 19^th century Strain’s builders had their own skills, using quality mortise and tenon joints and iron rods.

“They knew what they were doing,” said Kasper.

The Savics are planning a nanobrewery, food service, event space, rooftop patio and an upstairs museum about the town’s rich history and culture. Dozens of artifacts found during the work, including a Civil War-era bullet, will be on display, Marion Savic says. The couple hope doors open for business in early 2024.

Crews early on stabilized the structure by shoring up the walls and installing tie rods and plates – all aimed at strengthening the picturesque and beloved landmark. They then put in a steel membrane of columns and beams to add further support and will put in an elevator.

Kasper specializes in wood work and framing and a lot of that was going in when we stopped. Where they can, he and carpenter Graham Johnston are reusing the Strain’s old yellow pine. But, as they say, when you use old materials you have just one chance of getting it right.

“It has its challenges,” Johnston says of the work. “Nothing is as straightforward as you think it.”

Besides its compelling exterior profile, the Strain’s most fascinating draw is its use of tabby and stucco. The Adam Strain is one of few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast and it was used throughout the structure, including with bricks.

All the elements in the interior: Brick, tabby and wood (Picket photo)

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells and other ingredients and was popular in the region for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco is placed on the exterior to protect it from water and other damage.

“Tabby buildings are different. You can’t just drill holes through it,” says Kasper, whose work in Georgia includes the Atlanta Preservation Center and Savannah City Hall.

As Kasper explains it, the covering of tabby involves tossing a ball of lime on a, interior wall and smoothing it with a trowel. “I learned it when I came down here,” says the builder, whose son is three-time Olympic alpine skier Nolan Kasper.

The removal of the back wall yielded piles of tabby in the back of the building (right) that will be reused when the new wall goes up.

I first wrote about the effort to save the commercial building in April 2020. This was the first time I have visited, and I found the building, materials and construction techniques then and now to be fascinating.

The Strain building was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast. Darien’s destruction in 1863 by black troops, under orders from a virulently anti-slavery white officer, caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North. 

Those favoring emancipation were split on whether the act was barbarity or a necessary message. (The burning of Darien was made famous in the 1989 film “Glory.”)

The Strain building survived the flames and was repaired after the war and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II.

It came within whiskers of being demolished before the Savics stepped in and bought the property. Local residents were integral in the effort, and there was a Facebook page dedicated toward saving the landmark.

Part of the building looks like a cocoon beneath steel supports (Picket photo)

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in any plans to boost the small downtown district, which has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence.

Missy Brandt Wilson, a Darien native who owns a home there, while now living in Athens, Ga., said she expects the Strain will be an economic engine for the area. “We need it.”

And coastal Georgia historian and author Buddy Sullivan tells me he has consulted with the Savics about the museum and says Darien is “relying on tourism and visitation for its economic survival and what the Savics are doing with the Strain, as well as their continuing interest in our local culture, is the best thing that has happened to us here in a very long time.”

I asked Marion Savic for an update on the restoration (old support star bolt at left). Her responses have been edited:

Q. Can you confirm how the buildings will be used?

A. The one-story will house all the operational equipment and rooms -- brewing, kitchen, bathrooms, lift, etc. The Adam Strain first floor will be the brewery with a bar, seating inside and outside on the back bluff patio. The brewery will offer a limited menu. The second floor will house a nonprofit museum. 

Q. Do you have a brewer lined up yet? What style of beers might you provide and how many can the space seat?

A. We do have a person lined up to do the brewing, but I do not know the types of beers yet. He is not a brew master, but has experience working for a brewery and with brewing. It will be a nanobrewery, so a small operation that will be complemented with a selection of locally crafted beer. We haven’t worked out the seating count yet. The space inside is about 1,300 square feet.

Q. What kind of menu do you expect for the restaurant? Lunch and dinner?

A. It will be a limited bar menu with small bites, salads and artisan sandwiches. Our daughter-in-law, Chef Megan Savic from The Canopy restaurant, will be crafting the menu. (Milan and Marion Savic also own the Local Exchange market in downtown Darien, not far from the Adam Strain).

One of several blueprints to guide restoration crews inside the Strain (Picket photo)

Q. Do you have a color scheme picked out for the Strain exterior? And for the bank building?

A. We are in the early phases of discussing the finish of the Adam Strain. I don’t have a name for the color yet. It will be an historic finish and one that we have found while removing layers during the restoration. 

Q. When are your anticipated openings for the brewery, restaurant, museum and event space?

A. We are hoping to complete the restoration by the end of the year and anticipate opening the brewery in early 2024.

Q. My understanding is the interior of the Strain will have daubing lime over the tabby. The outside of the building will be stucco. Is that right?

A. The tabby inside and out will be covered with the traditional stucco.

Q. I noticed the back wall is being fully reconstructed and the old tabby now in piles will be reapplied. I knew that was a concern going in.

A. They knew the back wall would have to be taken down and rebuilt. It was the most damaged and failing section of the whole structure due to severe structural cracking. We hate to ever have to take down anything, but there was no option and it was the only way to save the building. It has taken a lot of time to take down and rebuild, which adds to the overall duration of the project.

Q. I Also noticed the west wall has a lean (right) from all the years. Will patrons see that lean, how did you rectify the stability?

A. The lean will stay and everyone will see it if they look. They will jack the buildings a few millimeters and then tighten the rods, but it won’t be a noticeable difference relevant to the outward leaning of the wall.

The building is fully supported by the steel membrane structure of columns, beams, and rods throughout.  

Q. Joe pointed out a grain hoist in the roof area. Have you learned anything about that and when it was used? I knew the building was a cotton warehouse around the time of the Civil War. Was this an additional service?

A. We don’t have information yet on the hoist -- there is an open area in the floor under it so we assume that material was hoisted up to the second floor. The building would have been used as a warehouse, ship’s chandlery, mercantile, etc. Because of the two fires, specific information has been hard to find.

Q. Can you tell us a little more about the planned upstairs museum?

A. The museum will be the history of Darien - Commerce from rice, cotton, and lumber to fishing/shrimping, Architecture, Burning of Darien, Adam Strain finds and stories from local people -- presented in an inclusive way.

The Strain is at the end (right) of a string of businesses (Picket photo)

Q. Finally, what are your thoughts on the Adam Strain at this point, given the complexity of the project? How will it directly contribute to the city?

A. We’re very excited about the restoration and also entering the last six months of the project. We think it will be an incredible and priceless addition to the waterfront and city of Darien. It’s one of the oldest commercial tabby buildings left standing in Georgia and one of two buildings to survive the burning of Darien. We believe the finished project will attract visitors and history buffs from all over the country. 

Patrons will get this rooftop view of bridge and creek below (Picket photo)

As workers stabilize tabby building that survived burning of Darien, a scene in the movie 'Glory,' another team finds a Civil War bullet

A view of the archaeological project (Courtesy of Marion Savic)

[Updated Nov. 30]  -- Crews have worked for months to stabilize the Adam Strain building in Darien, Ga. They shored up the walls and installed steel supports, tie rods and plates – all aimed at strengthening the picturesque structure that survived the port town’s burning during the Civil War.

While most of the attention has been focused on the fragile tabby structure, Milan and Marion Savic -- who bought the Adam Strain and plans to host businesses and a museum after it is restored – recently brought in an archaeological team to see what’s under the building and buried on the bluff just behind.

Among the items found was a Civil War-era bullet -- likely an Enfield round. The team found it on a bluff that overlooks water, Marion Savic told the Picket.

The so-called Pritchett bullet was used in the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. The Enfield was used by both sides during the conflict, and the Confederacy imported thousands from England.

Civil War bullet found during archaeological dig (Courtesy of Marion Savic)

It’s too early, of course, to surmise how the bullet came to be there, when it was deposited and to whom it belonged. 

The Adam Strain was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast. Darien was destroyed in 1863 by black troops, under orders from an anti-slavery white officer. The incident was recounted in the 1989 movie “Glory.” The Strain survived the fire.

The Picket first wrote in April about efforts to save the circa 1813 building after decades of deterioration. At one point in a long campaign to save the Strain, it appeared the beloved piece of history might be demolished. Made of oyster shell tabby and stucco, the oldest structure in Darien is beloved by its 2,000 residents.

Support system used during stabilization (Marion Savic)

Savic said she hopes to soon get an inventory on what was recovered during the dig; she was uncertain whether there were other Civil War-related artifacts. The archaeology was led by Dr. Nicholas Honerkamp, who has done extensive research on coastal Georgia.

"The bullet was found at the bottom of a trench that we excavated in the lower bluff, next to the road. I recall that it was identified by Dr. Carolyn Rock, who is on the crew," Honerkamp wrote in an email to the Picket. "Precious little was present in that feature, which was filled with bricks, brick bats, and tabby plaster fragments."

The crew was working near a tabby foundation of some sort. The material could have been the result of a wall or roof collapse, "which seems to be extensive at (the) Strain," the archaeologist said.

"I did see some burned plastic near the bottom. We were working in mud most of the time, and artifact IDs will be considerably enhanced when we finish cleaning the assemblages in the lab."

On a Facebook page devoted to the project on Broad Street in historic Darien, Savic wrote:

“It was an exciting two weeks and all the cool finds will go to the lab at Coastal Georgia Historical Society for further examination and cleaning. The oldest find is the Native American prehistoric pottery, likely 3000+ years old. The report and artifacts will be on display in the museum planned for the second floor of the Adam Strain.”

The Savics have big plans for the Adam Strain: a nano brewery that will serve house-brewed and other local beer, local non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks. There will be retail space on the first floor; the second floor will feature a museum and event space.

The museum will include artifacts and information from the dig. It  will convey the Strain’s and Darien’s history -- including shrimping, timber and the story of thousands of enslaved people who were the backbone of the economy in McIntosh and neighboring counties.

The Facebook page has chronicled the journey, with locals and others interested in the project posting comments and questions.

One find during the work was the discovery of Savannah grey bricks behind the walls of a one-story building that adjoins the Strain. It had been used as a bank and law offices following the Civil War.

Savannah grey bricks (Courtesy of Marion Savic)

“These bricks date to the early 1800s and were handmade by slaves at the Hermitage plantation, once located on the Savannah River west of the city. The grey clay was rare and not suited for crops but turned out to be ideal for making bricks,” the post says.

The Savics, who have experience in operating retail businesses in metro Atlanta, have turned to an array of contracted expertise to bring back a building that was at risk of being toppled by strong winds.

The stabilization phase is nearly complete. Besides the supports, tie rods and plates, crews removed the heavy slate roof, relieving stress on the building. Interior wood framing has been erected throughout the building.

(Courtesy of Marion Savic)

“We will soon begin an interim period when the steel supports will be jacked to push against and reverse some of the deflection in the walls,” Marion Savic wrote in an email. “The installed supports and tie rods will hopefully hold the building together as this occurs. We will also be repairing the roof joists and rafters and setting those back in place.”

Restoration will begin after the building is secure and fully supported. The Strain, which was burned in the 1863 fire, was repaired and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II and then shuttered. 

The building interior will have the appearance of its immediate post-Civil War days. Crews will recover the tabby with smooth, white stucco.

“The end goal is to have a fully restored tabby building honoring its history. It will look like it did in the 1800s,” Savic wrote.

The Adam Strain before work began this year.

Saving the Adam Strain: Crews take first step in shoring up building that survived Darien's burning during the Civil War

Phase one focuses on clearing the interior (Courtesy of Marion Savic)

In the port town of Darien, Ga., the Adam Strain building – which survived a fire set by Union troops during the Civil War – has withstood hurricanes and tropical storms for more than two centuries. It will feel the effects of yet another storm system through Monday.

As I write this post, Tropical Storm Isaias is churning northward off the Florida coast,.making its way toward Georgia before making a run for the Carolinas and beyond.

But for all it has withstood, the Strain is fragile these days, and its new owners know they must first stabilize and repair the tabby walls before the landmark building eventually finds new life: Milan and Marion Savic are thinking of putting a nano brewery on the first floor, with retail in the front and event space or class areas on the second floor.

“Hopefully, we can get some beams and a support system in the next month or two,” said Marion Savic, a Marietta, Ga., businesswoman, a few days after the restoration of the Strain formally began.

The Picket wrote in April about efforts to save the 1813-1815 building after decades of deterioration. At one point in a long campaign to save the Strain, it appeared the beloved piece of history might be demolished. Made of oyster shell tabby and stucco, the oldest structure in Darien is beloved by 2,000 residents who were thrilled the Strain was saved when the Savics made the purchase.

The Strain has been filled with shoes, antiques and a lot more (Marion Savic)

During the Civil War, the Strain -- which sits on an upper bluff -- was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast.

Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery, commanding the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners. Montgomery, who was a notable abolitionist, ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate in the town’s burning in 1863.

The Strain, which was burned in the fire but remained standing, was repaired and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II and then shuttered. 

Last week, cleanup of the interior, which is packed with old shoes, antiques, papers and other items, began. Marion Savic said the plan is for crews to bring in dirt to fill spaces at the foundation and then begin supporting the walls with steel rods and braces.

The stabilization process is expected to take three to six months.

View of waterfront (Landmark Preservation)

“We have started,” she told the Picket last week. “Everybody is very excited to get it restored.”

One of the walls is particularly weak and experts are installing digital monitors to monitor the integrity of the walls during the shoring-up and subsequent work. Any significant movement in the walls will set off an alarm alerting everyone to get out of the building.

“Any time you work with old buildings, you have to be prepared for anything happening,” said Marion Savic.

For example, part of a wall could fall when crews try to straighten it. One of the contractors is a tabby expert and will help with any repairs, she said.

The Strains put a new wood framing inside the building after the Civil War. It currently supports the existing second floor and is independent of the tabby.

Savic maintains a Facebook page on the revitalization of the Strain. She recently posted a photo of wooden planks that cover the original tabby walls. “Looking forward to getting the wood off and seeing the tabby and whatever else is hidden there.”

The building interior will have the appearance of its immediate post-Civil War days. The Savics haven’t yet decided whether wood will cover the tabby. Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells and was popular in the region in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Stucco is placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

Adjoining the Strain is a one-story annex that once housed a bank and law offices.

The Savics plan to establish there a small maritime museum that will convey the Strain’s and Darien’s history -- including shrimping, timber and the story of thousands of enslaved people who were the backbone of the economy in McIntosh and neighboring counties.

Wooden planks are currently covering tabby (Marion Savic)

Kit Stebbins Sutherland, who grew up in Darien and is a retired historic preservation planning consultant living in Atlanta, told the Picket she hopes to provide the Savics with photos, stories and other information that can help with interpretation.

“I will strongly encourage them to touch upon the long history of Broad Street and the Darien waterfront, as well as aspects of Gullah-Geechee culture and history.”

Missy Brandt Wilson, a Darien native and former chairman of the McIntosh County Historic Preservation Commission, told the Picket she is feels “like a miracle is happening” with the planned restoration of the Strain.

“I also hope it will demonstrate to Darien and McIntosh County they should preserve their vast cultural and historical resources, and be good stewards of them,” she said.