The Fredericksburg Cemetery has raised a little less than half the funds needed to repair the recent act of vandalism that left a number of headstones damaged, according to an update from the nonprofit.
The damages are substantial, but not as expensive as previously thought, says Fredericksburg Cemetery President Taylor Lewis. It’s since been determined that a stone cross that was twisted at the base and smashed is able to be restored instead of replaced, saving the organization several thousand dollars. However, a stone conservator recently identified additional damage, leaving the total estimate for repairs at approximately $11,000. Lewis says the organization has raised about $5,000 so far.
Julie Found from Found and Sons Funeral Chapels and Cremation Services has provided the services of the company’s stone setting employee, free of charge, Lewis says. He extends his gratitude on behalf of the organization to everyone who has donated towards the restoration.
Progress on repairs is outpacing the search for the suspects.
It’s believed that the vandal(s) entered the property on the back corner of the adjacent but separate Confederate Cemetery, in an area near the apartments on the 700 block of Cornell Street. Lewis says they suspect whoever caused the damage left by hopping a rear wall before exiting through one of the homes on Kenmore Avenue.
An investigator from the Fredericksburg Police Department visited the property after the vandalism to collect any finger and palm prints, but rain, pollen and grass clippings made that effort fruitless. The Cemetery would ask residents of the College Terrace community beneath UMW to review their security devices from the night of May 3rd and the morning of May 4th for footage that may capture anyone cutting through the back alleys or walking on the sidewalk with a focus on the time between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM.
