February 13, 2025
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Help sought in cemetery vandals case Bar Harbor police lack leads on culprits

BAR HARBOR – As police investigate who was responsible for damage at a cemetery, the local historical society is eager to arrange repairs.

Police Chief Nate Young said Friday that 17 headstones were damaged recently in the Village Burying Ground on Mount Desert Street.

Officials have not determined the cost of repairs, he said, but in the same cemetery one headstone that was damaged a few years ago – and damaged again in the recent incident – cost $1,700 to fix.

“It’s several thousand dollars worth of damage,” Young said.

He said police so far have been unable to develop leads on the culprits. The damage was done the night of April 28 or early the next day, he said.

“One to three people can do a lot of damage in a minimal amount of time,” Young said. “We’re more than interested in knowing who did it.”

Anyone with information may call the Police Department at 288-3391.

Deborah Dyer, curator of the Bar Harbor Historical Society, said the cemetery dates to the early 1800s. Several prominent names among the town’s earliest settlers were on the headstones that were damaged, she said, as well as veterans from the Civil War and other wars.

“It’s very hard to believe anyone would desecrate a cemetery any time of year,” Dyer said. “It’s sacred ground. You can’t imagine anyone doing this, especially with Memorial Day approaching.”

The cemetery is owned by the town, Dyer said, but the historical society has helped repair some of the stones over the years and is planning to do so again in this case. But money will have to be raised in order to fix all the damaged headstones, she said.

People who want to make a donation should send contributions to Bar Harbor Historical Society, 33 Ledgelawn Ave., Bar Harbor 04609.

btrotter@bangordailynews.net

460-6318


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