Grave Vandals
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 12, 2007
DEMOPOLIS &8212; Glover Mausoleum at Riverfront Cemetery is one of the many historic landmarks that dot the Demopolis landscape. Setting on the banks of the river, the site is easily distinguished no matter how its stately presence is depicted in pictures, paintings and other mediums. Yet along with natural deterioration, another danger is increasingly tarnishing one of the city&8217;s most recognizable icons &8212; vandalism.
Turberville has seen an increase in littered beer bottles, cigarette butts and broken glass from cups apparently hurled at the mausoleum. Along with the refuse, there are a number of graves that visitors to the site have disturbed
And the slabs covering the graves around the mausoleum aren&8217;t the only ones vandals moved. Eddins said graves on the south side of the cemetery across the railroad tracks that bisect the graveyard als were disturbed recently, something she said is likely the work of teenagers out at night.
Eddins said cemetery vandalism is nothing new to the board, but she said it is usually limited to things of value, such as the ironwork on gates, being taken to sell as antiques.
The police do their part to try and deter vandals, but even their efforts have limited success.
Manuel said the report should be finish today, and he said an increase in patrols of the area will be added if they are deemed warranted.
Eddins said the entry gates, which provided the only access to the site in the past, were locked nightly at one time &8212; an option she said the board will again consider. But she noted that now there is access to the cemetery through an adjacent field, which wasn&8217;t there when the gates were closed in the past.
She said she and the cemetery board might also look at installing a fence around the cemetery as a deterrent.
Eddins said Doric South, which helps to maintain the cemetery, will repair the damage at the site that is reversible.
Times Managing Editor Genie Phillips contributed to this report.