Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: Mausoleum bleeds for little girl, her family

By: Mike Conley | McDowell News
Published: July 08, 2009

Cleveland, Tenn. is a city of almost 40,000 people located not far from Chattanooga and the far eastern corner of the Volunteer State bordering North Carolina. Founded in 1837, Cleveland has many interesting and historic sites including the beautiful St. Luke's Episcopal Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
But this Gothic-style church has a sad and tragic history. Some folks in Cleveland, Tenn. believe that the remnants of that sad past can still be seen today.
John Henderson Craigmiles was a former sea captain and a prominent businessman in Cleveland during the 19th century. He and his wife, Adelia, had a daughter named Nina who was born in August 1864.
From the day she was born, this little girl was showered with love and attention from her family. Her proud father bought her some of best toys money could buy in those days. Her parents constantly doted on her and young Nina was rarely out of their sight. As a consequence, she had few friends of her own age during her childhood. However, little Nina seemed very happy with her family situation, according to a Web site.
But on Oct. 18, 1871, that happiness came to a tragic end. Nina's grandfather, Dr. Gideon Blackburn Thompson, was taking her for a ride on a horse and buggy. He had done this many times before and his granddaughter absolutely loved going for a ride. While they were riding along, Dr. Thompson lost control of his horse and buggy and they went directly into the path of an oncoming train. The grandfather was thrown to safety but little Nina was killed. She was just 7 years old.
The entire town was devastated by the news and numerous townsfolk showed up for Nina's funeral. After the service, her grandfather and two others were baptized. The Craigmiles were devout Episcopalians but the town of Cleveland did not have an Episcopal church at that time. Her father vowed to build one as a memorial to his late daughter. Since her death occurred on St. Luke's Day, the church would be named in honor of the writer of one of the Gospels.
On the third anniversary of Nina's death, St. Luke's Episcopal Church was consecrated as a house of worship. Not long afterwards, the Craigmiles family had a mausoleum built behind the church. Little Nina's casket was interred inside the mausoleum, as was another infant son who had died. In time, the rest of the Craigmiles family would be laid to rest there. Like the church building, this white tomb also features impressive Gothic architecture.
To this day, folks in Cleveland, Tenn. believe that the churches, and especially the Craigmiles mausoleum, are haunted. It is said that the mausoleum has red streaks running down it that are the same color as blood. Almost everyone agrees that these streaks appeared right after Nina was laid to rest inside. Folks believe these streaks represent the tragedy her family endured. People have tried many times to wash off these streaks but they are still there. No one can explain what caused them to appear in the first place, according to a Web site.
In the area around the mausoleum, some people have claimed to see the ghost of a young child dressed in 19th-century clothing. Other people also report hearing the sound of crying coming from the mausoleum. The legend of St. Luke's Church holds that it is Nina crying and wanting to play with the childhood friends she never had when she was alive.
So if you are visiting Cleveland, Tenn. go by and pay a visit to beautiful and historic St. Luke's Episcopal Church. But don't forget the tragic story behind the bleeding mausoleum.