Car Hits, Damages Stone Wall Surrounding Historic Cemetery: Norwalk PD

NORWALK, CT — A vehicle struck and damaged a stone wall surrounding a historic cemetery and churchyard along East Avenue over the weekend, according to police.

In an email Monday, Police Sgt. Sofia Gulino confirmed the city's dispatch center received several calls Saturday around 10 p.m. about a vehicle striking the wall and leaving the area.

Gulino also noted the department only had limited information to share about the incident at this time as a report had not been completed yet.

Rubble from the damaged wall could be seen spilling into the churchyard's cemetery the following day. St. Paul's on the Green did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.

According to the Norwalk Hour, city historian David Westmoreland said the church has insurance that will likely cover the cost of repairs, which he estimated would cost less than $10,000, however reconstructing the wall would likely take some time.

Westmoreland also noted the cemetery wall dates back to sometime around the late 1700's or early 1800's, and about 1,000 or so people are likely buried there, the Norwalk Hour reports.

According to the church's website, St. Paul's grounds are "home to a historic churchyard where you'll find examples of cemetery architecture from early colonial times through the 18th and 19th centuries."

The website also notes the church itself was founded in 1737, however the present church building, built in the 1920's, is the fifth erected on the site.

Patch has reached out to the city and the Norwalk Historical Society for further information.