ASHLAND — A Northeast Ohio cemetery is inching closer to restoring peace after a shocking act of desecration. As Veterans Day approaches, community support is helping Ashland Cemetery repair the vandalized property.
“This is a piece of Ashland’s history,” said Amy Clark, the vice president of the Ashland Cemetery Association.
In June, police said vandals ransacked the nearly 170-year-old cemetery. They toppled 133 headstones, snapped a bronze rifle from the Fallen Heroes Memorial and ripped military markers from veterans’ graves, using one to smash a cemetery office window.
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“You always think of the cemetery as being a very peaceful place with dignity for those who have passed,” Clark said. “We were all flabbergasted that it would be so severe and so violating.”
The act of vandalism immediately drew outrage from the community, amplified by a lack of leads to hold the vandals responsible.
“We were very, very upset about it. It really hurt our community a lot,” said Tom Bray at the Ashland Elks Lodge 1360.
He explained the organization cares deeply for veterans’ causes and was moved to try to help the situation. The Elks lodge quickly donated more than $13,000 so the cemetery could roll out more sophisticated security cameras.
“Everybody always comes together when there’s something that’s devastating that happens or a tragedy. Our whole community always steps up,” Bray said.
In response to inquiries about how to help, the City of Ashland and the Ashland County Historical Society established a special Ashland Cemetery fund. Friday, Clark said it’s raised more than $65,000 from 50 organizations and individual donors.
The cemetery also received a $2,500 grant from the Ohio Department of Commerce.
Mayor Matt Miller said the first community donation came from a local business owner and was enough to cover repair costs for the Fallen Heroes Memorial. Clark said other donations continue to pour into the city.
“The outpouring of support from this small community has been fantastic,” she said.
She praised the Ashland Monument Company for quickly picking up fallen headstones and taking inventory of the damage, as well as providing discounted services to the cemetery.
Clark said there is still a lot of work ahead to fix all of the damage, including replacing the broken monument at the Fallen Heroes Memorial and identifying all of the veterans’ graves missing military markers. But she said the cemetery is on track to restore peace.
“The board’s goal is to actually get the cemetery back to a normal, peaceful place with dignity where people can come visit their loved ones and put all this behind us,” Clark said.
If you’d like to support the restoration efforts, you can still make donations to the City of Ashland Cemetery Fund. Checks should be made out to “City of Ashland Cemetery Fund” and mailed the mayor’s office at 206 Claremont Ave., Ashland, OH 44805. In the memo, designate which cause you wish to support (i.e., the Fallen Heroes Memorial, individual monuments, or where needed the most).
To pay by Credit Card, call the City of Ashland Finance Department at 419-289-8170.
Donations can also be dropped off at the Ashland Cemetery office at 523 W Main St., Ashland, OH 44805.
The Ashland Police Department is also seeking information that could lead to the people responsible for the vandalism. You can contact Officer Zeisler at 419-289-3639 with tips.
