BAY CITY, MI — At least 30 tombstones, some weighing several hundred pounds, were tipped over at Soldiers Rest Civil War and Pioneer Cemetery, also known as Pine Ridge Cemetery, on Bay City's East Side. Ron Graham, who has helped maintained the historic, 156-year-old cemetery for the last several years, said he saw a group of kids loitering in the historic cemetery on Wednesday, Oct. 15. When he arrived at the cemetery on Thursday, Oct. 16, he saw the tombstones tipped over. "It makes me sick to my stomach," Graham said. "I don't understand why people vandalize places like cemeteries, especially this one, where there is so much history here. I put in hundreds of hours and a few thousand dollars of my own money into this place every year, and to have this happens, just creates more work and frustration." On Thursday afternoon, Graham and Marvin Kusmierz, a local historian, were surveying damage and waiting for Bay City police to arrive to file a report. Some of the tombstones, Graham estimates, weigh between 400- and 600-pounds. A section of tombstones specifically of Civil War veterans, were untouched. Near the north end of the cemetery was a tombstone that memorialized Levy Wade, who was born in 1849 and died in 1919. Standing at about five feet tall, Wade's tombstone was tipped over and the decorative urn on top of had broken off. The heavy piece of stone dug a large divot into the ground. Graham said it's not the first time the cemetery has been vandalized. Several decorative urns have been knocked off over the years, he said, in addition to tombstones being tipped over. Pine Ridge Cemetery is Bay City's oldest cemetery, established in 1858 by Judge James Birney III. It includes numerous Bay City pioneers and at least 200 Civil War veterans. It has been called one of the most historic sites in Bay County. _Earlier this year_ (http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2014/05/bay_citys_historic_pine_ridge.html) , it was renamed to "Soldiers Rest." and a new sign was installed before a Memorial Day service. While waiting for police to arrive, Brett Antonelli and Matt Wrona, two employees from Midwest Memorial Group who maintain Elm Lawn Cemetery, walked over to volunteer reassembling the tombstones. Graham wanted police to file a report before putting the tombstones back up. "I have no idea what kind of kicks people get out of vandalizing a cemetery," Wrona said. "It boggle my mind." Police have said the incident is similar to one that occurred at Oakridge Cemetery, 1500 N. Henry St., on Monday, Sept. 1. In that instance, about 50 headstones were knocked over and damaged. Police are asking anyone with knowledge of either incident to call them at 989-892-8571.