YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A historic Black cemetery in York County announced it is closed the week before Memorial Day following the discovery of another damaged headstone.

The Lebanon Cemetery posted on Facebook that a large stone was toppled over Wednesday and officials are unsure if this is a new incident or if it is related to the recent vandalism of other headstones.

The reason for the closure is so cemetery volunteers can assess the entire property. No one is allowed to enter until work has been completed, the post states.

“With over 2,000 stones on the property, the members of the volunteer Lebanon Cemetery Company need to secure resources to assess the safety of the entire property,” the post reads. “With this in mind, Lebanon Cemetery (1412 N. George St, York, PA 17404) is now CLOSED effective immediately. No one is permitted on the property without prior authorization until the work to enhance safety is complete.”

The hope is that the cemetery is back open in time for Memorial Day but volunteers are needed, officials said.

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Officials first found multiple headstones toppled over Friday, and filed a report with Northern York Regional Police Department who are investigating.

In order to notify the proper families of the people who are buried there about the headstones, they should contact the Friends of Lebanon Cemetery at 717-819-9448 or lebanoncemeterycompany@gmail.com .

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