Over 275 grave markers were defaced at a cemetery in the Dallas suburbs, the majority of which are over 100 years old, including one connected to one of the city’s first settlers.
The severe damage at Waxahachie City Cemetery, approximately 30 miles south of Dallas was realized shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday, according to a Facebook post by local police.
Established in 1852, the cemetery is home to approximately 10,000 graves.
The tombstone of Emory Rogers, who is widely regarded as the founder of the Texas town, was among those brought down and broken. ‘First Settler in Waxahachie,’ a plaque near his gravestone reads.
‘This is by far the worst case of vandalism we have seen in the City Cemetery,’ Gumaro Martinez, executive director of the city’s Parks and Leisure Services, said in a statement. ‘Many of the markers that were affected are very old, and repairs will be difficult and costly.’
The Waxahachie Police Department is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators through Crime Stoppers of Ellis County.
Waxahachie City Councilmember Travis Smith posted on Facebook earlier this week that the city’s Cemetery Board met briefly this week to arrange voluntary cleanup times for the substantial damage, and that the town will ‘lean on experts’ to fix the fragile stones.
Source: Daily Mail
