Fallen tree branch damages headstones at Old Lorimier Cemetery

Our recent windstorm seems to have done a number on a tree at Old Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau. A large branch from an ancient hackberry tree has fallen across several headstones.

A monument to the Kimmel family (Singleton & Sarah Kimmel) has been knocked over in dramatic fashion. The upper obelisk portion somehow survived in one piece.

A smaller monument to the Juden family (Ellen, George W., and George W. Jr.) has also been knocked over.

This headstone, identity unclear, has been toppled over face down.

City employees have already sawed the doomed branch into pieces, but it will take a more serious effort to repair the damaged headstones.