Lightning Hits Steeple
Of Cemetery Chapel

The chapel steeple at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Randolph Center was struck by lightning and destroyed during Monday morning’s brief but fierce thunderstorms.

No one was injured as the chapel was not occupied at the time. The building itself sustained only minor damage.

Burial operations at the cemetery will continue without interruption, according to Edward Burkart, cemetery supervisor.

The cemetery and chapel are owned by the State of Vermont, which will work towards replacing the steeple as soon as possible.

The non-denominational chapel was built in 1999, six years after the cemetery opened in 1993. Approximately 1,300 veterans and family members have been interred at the cemetery, which has averaged over one hundred burials a year since 2001.

The elegant chapel stands high on the hill over the cemetery, making it an easy target for lightning.