YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Over the last few months, the Lebanon Cemetery in North York has become a target for vandalism.
“Why would people desecrate a cemetery? It doesn’t make any sense at all," said Joseph Richburg, the treasurer of the Lebanon Cemetery Company.
Back in May, the cemetery was forced to close for several days, after vandals knocked over multiple headstones.
”Just before the Memorial Day holiday, we discovered that there were several stones that had been toppled," said Samantha Dorm, who volunteers at the cemetery, "Others had been loosened or shaken.”
During a walkthrough just this past weekend, Dorm noticed vandals had struck again.
This time, the damage is personal.
"I noticed the stone behind me," Dorm said. "That stone is my great-great-grandparents.”
“To have that sense of pride for who my family is, and what they represent, it’s more than just a toppled stone," she continued.
There have been discussions about improving security at the cemetery, but no action has been taken yet because of the cost associated with upgrades.
“We’re looking at a minimum of about $30,000," explained Dorm. "But there’s also going to be an ongoing maintenance fee that we currently don’t have.”
Those who help maintain the grounds don’t know what the future holds, but they hope something can be done to protect those laid to rest here.
“We’re trying to bring the cemetery back up to the standards it should be," said Richburg.
The cemetery is urging families who have loved ones buried there to get in contact with the cemetery's board. Dorm and Richburg both say one of the biggest challenges has been trying to contact families when headstones are vandalized. The headstones are not able to be touched or fixed without family's permission.