Lewiston cemetery vandalized

LEWISTON – More than 160 headstones have been toppled and damaged at the Normal Hill Cemetery in this north-central Idaho city, some so badly officials say they cannot be repaired.

The vandalism during the weekend at the city’s first cemetery, which dates to 1888 and includes the graves of city founders, was the second time in a week that grave markers were reported knocked over.

“We’re doing what we can, number one from a maintenance standpoint,” said Lynn Moss, Lewiston Parks and Recreation director. “We’re trying to collect them and put as many of them back on the bases if we can.

“Our inmate work crews have already put 140 stones back on their bases and they estimate there’s another 20 or 30 on the ground,” Moss said Tuesday.

Many headstones can be placed or glued back on their pedestals, he said, but others are too broken to be put back together.

“This is definitely the worst case,” Moss said.

Officials did not have an estimate on the cost of the damage.

Police say they have no suspects.

The damage was discovered Monday by cemetery workers, who said it likely happened over the weekend. Late last week, 20 other headstones were knocked off their pedestals.

Some of the headstones that were damaged are more than 100 years old, including that of P.H. Howe, who died in 1895, and W.M. Miller, who died in 1897. Both had been ripped from their pedestals and tossed to the ground.

Other damaged headstones dated to the 1990s.

Linda Rape, cemetery coordinator, said a list of the damaged headstones is being made. But she said the cemetery doesn’t have money to replace or repair them.

“I’m disgusted,” she said. “I don’t know if it was just kids.”

The 40-acre cemetery contains about 18,000 graves, she said, adding that many people in the neighborhood treat it as a park.

She said vandalism has also occurred in the past during spring break.

“Whoever is doing it is lucky they didn’t get hurt,” she said. “You get them rocking and (the headstones) can come off the wrong side.”

Moss said that due to the weight of the vandalized headstones, he suspects more than one or two people would have been needed to knock them over. He also said that some sort of implement was used to damage the headstones.