Earlier this week, one of the most iconic monuments in the nation was vandalized.

On Monday, tourists and officials arrived at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts to find it defaced with red spray paint. In addition, the Pilgrim Maiden statue, two scallop shells statues and a commemorative bench also were vandalized.

Although the graffiti was removed within hours, it actually leaves a lasting mark on such a historic place.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Plymouth each year to see where the fabled Mayflower made landfall and celebrate a benchmark in American history.

“Seeing this type of disrespect for the historic reminders of the Mayflower story is both sad and unsettling,” said Lea Filson, executive director of See Plymouth. “The outpouring of concern and anger over the incident has been a positive ending to a thoughtless gesture.”

It is gestures like these that cause concern for not only those who curate and care for national points of interests, but also for those who take pride in their city or town.

Here is Nashua, graffiti in downtown often is a problem. One need not look any further than the city’s Library Walk to see what vandals are capable of.

Even The Telegraph has been hit by these graffiti bandits, with a 30-plus foot swath of our building being tagged in the past couple months.

While there is a place for artwork – even graffiti artwork – it certainly is not on the sides of downtown buildings, mailboxes, businesses and homes.

More pride should be taken in having a clean and graffiti-free downtown that is welcoming to visitors and city residents alike.

Let’s hope surveillance cameras in Plymouth caught a glimpse of the culprits so that justice may be done. A national treasure like this should be revered and respected, as should our own hometown of Nashua.

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