EFFORT TO SAVE CEMETERY MUST INVOLVE COMMUNITY

Time has not been kind to Old Lorimier Cemetery. A part of Cape Girardeau heritage is crumbling at the hand of vandals and the elements.

Action to save this historic cemetery has been slow in coming, but we're happy to see some progress.

It was announced at last week's Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Board meeting that a steering committee has been formed to solicit $35,000 to erect a security fence around the cemetery. In turn, a fund-raising foundation, "Friends of Old Lorimier Cemetery," has formed to spearhead the campaign. Donations can be mailed to "Friends of Old Lorimier Cemetery" at P.O. Box 177 in Cape Girardeau.

It's a good first step. A fence could go a long way to stopping the senseless vandalism plaguing Old Lorimier.

Stepped up police patrols and a new sunset-to-6 a.m. curfew at cemeteries may also have helped. No vandalism incidents have been reported since the curfew took effect last month.

A number of groups are interested in the cemetery, but no one group has really taken charge. It's time for that to happen, and this fund-raising effort might offer the perfect opportunity.

It's also time for the city Historic Preservation Commission to designate the cemetery as an official landmark. This move would help to build community support for the project establishing it as a community priority.

There's no doubt Old Lorimier contains valuable insight into Cape Girardeau's history. Our city founder, Louis Lorimier, is buried there, as is Louis Houck, historian and railroad builder; and Lucius H. Cheney, the first principal of the Normal School (now Southeast Missouri State University). The cemetery dates back to 1808; the first grave was that of Lorimier's wife. The men and women who shaped our city are buried there prominent businessmen and pauper alike.

More than 5,000 graves fill the five acres of Old Lorimier. Only about 1,000 are marked by tombstones. City Sexton Terrell Weaver estimates about 75 percent of these stones are damaged. Most of the damage began by human hand; from there, the elements have taken their toll.

The vandalism seems to go in cycles - every couple of years it intensifies. After two years of little damage, 1991 has been a devastating year. In June, 35 stones were toppled with at least 15 broken; in July, 13 stones were damaged; in August, a dozen more stones were overturned. The cemetery's secluded location has made it a prime target for vandals over the years.

One of those damaged stones marked the grave of a distant cousin of George Washington. Cemetery workers are still trying to put the pieces back together.

The cemetery is an important part of our fabric, and the vandalism is a community problem. The solution lies with the community as well. For this fence campaign to really succeed, citizens must be sold on the importance of Old Lorimier. And that means an organized, concerted effort. This crumbling piece of our city's heritage deserves no less.