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Residents offer to restore gravestones in Edgerton

EDGERTON — The destruction of gravestones in three Edgerton cemeteries was a terrible thing, but it's wonderful to see the community's response, City Administrator Ramona Flanigan said.

At least two people have offered to help in the restoration effort, and more help might be on the way.

"There are a lot of people who are very disheartened by this (vandalism) activity," Flanigan said.

Three boys have confessed to damaging more than 100 gravestones, urns and markers at Fassett, Jenson and St. Joseph cemeteries, said Lt. Bob Bolgrihn with the Edgerton Police Department. The boys—ages 10, 12 and 13—were playing in the cemeteries and knocked over a gravestone. Once they saw how easy it was, they started knocking over more, he said.

They have been referred to authorities on charges of criminal damage to religious property, Bolgrihn said. Two of the boys accused of lying to authorities also are charged with obstructing.

About 100 gravestones were vandalized at Fassett Cemetery, owned by the city of Edgerton. About 25 gravestones at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery were damaged, and several crosses and urns were damaged at Jenson Cemetery, owned by Central Lutheran Church.

Some of the vandalized stones at Fassett have minor damage that can be fixed by city employees, said Dorothy Gunderson, administrative assistant for the department of public works. Others will require more work.

Restoration could cost $300 to $400 per gravestone, Flanigan said.

Jim Walters heard about the destruction and knew he wanted to help. Walters worked for the city of Edgerton for 22 years, more than half of them caring for the cemetery.

"It's really sad to see something like that happen," he said. "So I thought it might be nice to help because I know a little bit about it."

The gravestones belong to the families of the people buried in the cemeteries. Some of the stones date back to the 19th century.

One Edgerton woman offered to use her genealogy expertise to help track down the families, said Cindy Hegglund, city clerk.

The Edgerton Public Works Committee on Monday discussed the city's response to the vandalism. The city is not legally obligated to fix the stones, but it might contribute toward the restoration.

First, it's waiting to see if more residents volunteer to help. The city will place an ad in next week's Edgerton Reporter seeking volunteers to donate time, money or resources to the effort. The ad also will seek out the owners of the damaged gravestones.

The city also wants to see if the boys will be required to pay restitution, Hegglund said.

Bolgrihn said the community stepped up when it came to tracking down the culprits, too. Police were able to find the boys through citizen tips.

"We at the police department are very thankful to the citizens," he said.