Cleveland, Tennessee: Bloodstained Tomb of Nina Craigmiles

Killed in a buggy accident. Unexplained stains have constantly soiled her house-sized white marble tomb.

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Blood-stained crypt.

Blood-Stained Crypt of Little Nina Cragmiles

In 1871 a little girl from a prominent Cleveland family, Nina Cragmiles, was killed in a buggy accident. Soon thereafter her grieving parents had a white marble crypt built in her honor in the churchyard of St. Lukes Episcopal Church, downtown Cleveland. No sooner had the crypt been completed then pinkish red stains appeared on the white marble. Local residents tried scrubbing the stains away and even replaced some of the white marble stones, but the stains reappeared. As other members of the Cragmiles family met tragic ends over the years, the "bloodstains" seemed to grow larger and more prominent.

I walked by the crypt many times as a young boy, saw the stains and pondered the legend. Today most people seem to pay it no mind, and many of the younger generation may have never heard the story at all. But the stains are clearly visible. There is no sure explanation as to their origin.

[J. Stephen Conn, 02/03/2006]

Poor Nina was only 7 when she died, but she must have led a comfortable life. Her crypt is large enough to qualify as a house.

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Bloodstained Tomb of Nina Craigmiles

Address:: 4th St. NE, Cleveland, TN
Directions:: From North: I-75 exit 25. Drive east on Hwy 60/25th St. Turn right onto US Hwy 11/Ocoee St. Drive south into town. Turn left onto 4th St. NE; the Crypt will be on the right. From South: I-75 exit 20. Drive east on US Hwy 74, then exit north onto US Hwy 11. Drive into town, turn left on Ocoee St. (still US Hwy 11), then drive north six blocks. The Crypt will be on the left, between Central Ave. and 4th St. NE. The stains are most visible on the underside of the entry arch on the Ocoee St. side of the crypt.
RA Rates:: Worth a Detour