en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en
Streams of visitors drove through Cedar Lawn Memorial Park Tuesday to check on loved ones’ graves after heavy precipitation created muddy conditions at the cemetery and made it difficult to maintain.
Many people came to the cemetery west of Hagerstown after learning about conditions through social media.
Emotions ran high among some visitors as they found large sections of the graveyard muddy, with numerous vehicle tracks.
Visitors speculated whether a vandal with a four-wheel drive vehicle caused the damage, or if it was cemetery workers.
Cemetery officials said there is one reason: excessive rainfall pounding the Tri-State area since last year.
Don Hollinger, sales manager at the cemetery between West Washington Street and National Pike, said the ground is extremely saturated and had no chance to dry out.
Walking across the ground easily makes a footprint.
“Imagine bringing in a backhoe and a dump truck,” Hollinger said.
On top of that, there have been a large number of burials, according to Hollinger and Terica Welch, the cemetery’s office manager.
There were seven burials and close to that number so far this week, they said.
“I called the other cemeteries, and they’re having the same issue. They’re just not having as many burials as we are,” Welch said.
Hollinger said he and Welch have been in the business for at least 30 years and never witnessed conditions like this.
The region has had heavy rainfall since mid-May last year. Hagerstown ended up with 67.10 inches of precipitation last year, the second-highest total of annual precipitation for the city since local records began in 1898.
Now, the city is preparing for a winter storm on Wednesday that could bring up to 6 inches of snow.
Hollinger and Welch said they are dealing with conditions the best they can, taking advantage of cold mornings when the ground is frozen to make repairs. Crews have been putting top soil and straw on damaged areas.
Welch said one time, a piece of granite at a burial site was cracked. Family members of the person buried were called and the cemetery took responsibility, she said.
Several visitors interviewed at the cemetery Monday said they had not observed damage to gravestones of loved ones
Some gravestones had been pulled out of the ground and were sitting on the surface. Hollinger said stones are pulled up so graves can be dug.
Candace Shipp of Hagerstown walked around looking for her grandmother’s gravestone. She later found it, and said it was moved from where it should have been.
Shipp said she couldn’t believe an area where loved ones are buried would be in such a condition.
“I’m mad because there is no sense in this,” Shipp said.
Welch said the gravestone for Barbara A. Midtgaard, Shipp’s grandmother, was set aside because it was too wet to set after Midtgaard’s burial in December.
Otherwise, the gravestone would have sunk, Welch said.
This story was updated at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 19 to correct a reference to the day.
Careers Staff Directory Accessibility Site Map Legals Our Ethical Principles Terms of Service Privacy Policy Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy PolicyDo Not Sell My Info / Cookie Policy
Contact Us Support Local Business Advertise Your Business Advertising Terms and Conditions Licensing & Reprints Help Center Subscriber Guide My Account Give Feedback