Cemetery with graves of presidents, Confederates is damaged

RICHMOND, Va. — Gravestones and memorials were toppled and spray-painted at a cemetery in Virginia that holds the graves of two U.S. presidents as well as Confederate soldiers and generals.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that $200,000 worth of damage was done Saturday at the Hollywood Cemetery.

The cemetery spans 135 acres and overlooks the James River in Richmond. More than 18,000 Confederate soldiers and generals are buried there.

The damage was done in the Presidents Circle section of the cemetery. That’s where U.S. presidents James Monroe and John Tyler are buried. Their graves weren’t disturbed. Police Chief Gerald Smith there was no clear markings that the graves that were desecrated had anything to do with the Confederacy.

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