GARNETT — Vandals wrecked graves at the historic South Sugar Valley Cemetery east of Garnett. As a result of the vandalism and neglect, there are no intact gravestones in one of the county’s oldest cemeteries, which dates to the Civil War. Terry Jasper discovered the vandalism and reported to the sheriff’s department. She told the Anderson County Review that someone pushed over taller gravestones at the cemetery. No one is sure just how many people are buried in the small cemetery and not much is known about its history, said Anderson County historian Dorothy Lickteig. The cemetery fell into disrepair and was overgrown with brush when a family of volunteers cleaned it up in 1994. Since then, volunteers have maintained it. It’s difficult to repair old gravestones because the stone is soft, thin and brittle, Lickteig said. Both Jasper and Lickteig ask that anyone who has information about the damage to come forward.
Tuesday, Sept. 14, 8 a.m.
