YORK, Pa. — The Lebanon Cemetery, York's first and largest African American cemetery, remains closed as volunteers work to prepare the grounds for Memorial Day weekend.
The cemetery was closed on Wednesday after workers discovered another headstone that was knocked over. This comes after seven other headstones were toppled in an apparent act of vandalism last week.
“We need to assess the stability of the stones in the affected area to make sure that visitors who come here aren’t injured," said Samantha Dorm, president of the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery.
Dorm said the goal is to have the cemetery open for Memorial Day. Volunteers have been working to clear old logs and tree branches, as well as place American flags at veterans' gravesites.
Meanwhile, the Northern York Regional Police Department is still investigating the act of vandalism that toppled the headstones.
“This is always a sensitive crime when people go tipping over headstones, especially coming up on Memorial Day," said Lt. Greg Anderson.
Lt. Anderson said the police have not found a suspect, but believe the crime was likely done by a teenager. He added that there will be increased patrols of the area to help bolster security of the cemetery.
“A lot of times, simply letting the neighborhood know that a crime occurred in the area, it gets them looking more than they would towards the cemetery," said Lt. Anderson.
Dorm said she wants to have the cemetery ready, so people are able to honor our local heroes.
“One of our veterans here at the Lebanon Cemetery, James Brown Talley, will be honored at the Gold Star Garden in York. He lost his life in Vietnam," said Dorm. "In addition to our over 300 veterans, we want people to come and pay their respects for his sacrifice to the country.”
In a Facebook post, the Lebanon Cemetery said they plan to reopen to the public no later than Sunday, May 26.