News

Multiple headstones desecrated at Gloucester cemetery

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Gloucester police are investigating a crime that desecrated multiple markers at a cemetery that date back to 1835.

Clark’s Cemetery has some of the first families who settled in Gloucester.

Boston 25 News tracked down Richard Mackenzie Clark Jr. and his wife, Kathy, who have spent the past five years trying to restore the history that has now been vandalized.

“As you can see it was all broken up in pieces,” Richard Clark Jr. said.

Two of the headstones had significant damage according to Richard Clark.

“It fell over and you can see the shards and you can see where it was where they tipped it off,” Richard Clark said.

Clark and his wife unofficially adopted this cemetery because they say they have 40 or some family members dating back to the 1800′s buried there.

The couple spent years restoring the historical grave markers.

Gloucester Police Chief Ed Conley told Boston 25 News it appears someone threw rocks or stones and caused the stone to chip away.

“This cemetery contains the remains of some very important people in Gloucester’s history along with with memorials and burials of some of Gloucester’s Civil War dead,” Conley said.

“Our hearts were just broken because it is was unexpected,” Kathy Clark said.

One of the markers is for Clark’s Aunt Frances who is buried next to her husband George Clark.

“She was 17 years-old been married a few months and died of typhoid. And to have someone disrespect her like that is really horrible,” said Clark.

They have no plans to stop but they are hoping police find out who disrespected some of Gloucester’s richest history.

“We as Americans should respect our veterans,” said Richard Clark.

For more information on Clark’s Cemetery in Gloucester and how you can help, click here.