Fund set up for vandalized Cape cemetery's repairs

~ Any person or group with a connection to Old Lorimier Cemetery is being contacted as a potential donor.

A fund has been established to help defray the cost of repairing headstones and improving security at Old Lorimier Cemetery.

Current estimates are $40,000 to $60,000 to repair the 69 headstones that were damaged two weekends ago in one of the largest acts of vandalism at the cemetery, said Terry Foley, a historic preservation consultant. While Cape Girardeau has money to maintain daily upkeep, it is never fully prepared for vandalism, she said.

Businesses, individuals and groups have already pledged money to the Old Lorimier Cemetery Preservation Fund as well as time.

Among the first to contribute will be Benton Hill Investment Co. and the Southeast Missourian. Each business will donate $1,000, half to the preservation fund and half to the CrimeStoppers reward being offered by the Cape Girardeau Police Department to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest.

The general reaction among business owners, community leaders and private individuals is anger, said Gary Rust, chairman of Rust Communications, which owns the Southeast Missourian. Most of them want the same thing.

"By golly, let's find out who did this," he said, which is why some chose to increase the reward.

Any person or group with a connection to the cemetery is being contacted as a potential donor, Foley said. For example, the first president of Southeast Missouri State University is buried there, so both the university and the president's family will be contacted.

Foley hopes to preserve more that just stones and graves. The cemetery has 197 years of history, with as many as 5,000 people buried there -- pioneers, politicians, religious leaders, businessmen, teachers, soldiers and others. Only about 1,450 graves are marked,

Besides history, an educational experience is also at stake.

"Most people view a cemetery as a cemetery. They don't view it as a learning tool," Foley said.

Mathematicians and computer science majors can design graphs and build databases. Science majors and environmentalists can study the composition of the stones and types of vegetation. German majors can translate some of the stones that are written in that language. Health majors and historians can research when diseases swept through the region or the social status of children.

Anyone can help maintain the cemetery, Foley said.

Tim Arbeiter, executive director of Old Town Cape, is assessing ways to add security lights and cameras, she said. Boy Scout troops have offered to help maintain the cemetery grounds by clearing away branches and picking up trash. The Cape Girardeau County Archives Center and Southeast Missourian librarian and archivist Sharon Sanders are sifting through records to confirm names and death dates for headstones that are hard to read.

Volunteer forms are available for anyone willing to help, Foley said. The number of hours and which days of the week people are available is requested. For more information, call Foley at 332-1530 or Arbeiter at 334-8085.

Anyone with information on the vandalism is encouraged to call the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 335-6611 or CrimeStoppers at 332-0500.

jmetelski@semissourian.com

Want to help?

How: Make all checks payable to the Cape Girardeau Parks Development Foundation. The memo must read Old Lorimier Preservation Fund.

Where: Mail them to the foundation at 410 Kiwanis Drive, Cape Girardeau, 63701, or drop them off at Old Town Cape Inc., 111 Independence St., 63703.