New London cemetery cleans graffiti from monuments

New London - Most of the graffiti that vandals spray-painted on several monuments and a mausoleum in Cedar Grove Cemetery has been cleaned and removed, according to members of the cemetery's trustee board.

About two months ago, vandals used various colors of spray paint to deface several monuments and the 96-year-old mausoleum of Frank Loomis Palmer, a wealthy banker and entrepreneur. A charitable fund in Palmer's name annually donates thousands of dollars to organizations and charities that benefit city residents.

Police investigated the vandalism at the Broad Street cemetery but have not identified any suspects, according to F. Kent Sistare, the president of Cedar Grove's trustee board. The backside of the Palmer tomb is still marked by faded blue and lavender graffiti.

The damage to the tomb and other monuments and graves in the cemetery was first noticed around Halloween, Sistare said.

"We don't usually have this sort of thing happening in the cemetery," Sistare said. "It was certainly a surprise and not a pleasant one."

The Palmer mausoleum also was targeted in 1991 by thieves who stole a Tiffany stained-glassed window from the tomb.

The window was recovered 13 years later in Rhode Island by police - along with two others from separate incidents - but never reinstalled in the tomb for the fear of theft. Boards currently cover the tomb's windows.

The Palmer Fund in recent years has awarded grants to support the capital campaign of the Garde Arts Center and renovations to the B.P. Learned Mission, among many causes.

Frank Loomis Palmer became wealthy after inventing a quilting device that helped in the manufacturing of bed comforters. His daughter, Virginia, established the foundation in Palmer's memory.

Nathan Belcher, the secretary of the cemetery's trustee board, said the vandalism appears to be a random act. The board has submitted a claim to its insurance company in hopes of recouping the money it spent to have the monuments and graves cleaned.

"I think graffiti is a new thing for us to be dealing with," Belcher said. "We've had cemetery stones tipped over in the past, but graffiti seems to be something different."

jeff.johnson@theday.com