St. Luke's Episcopal Church - Cleveland, TN

Peter J. Williamson designed this Victorian Gothic church building in 1873. (He also designed the synagogue in Nashville, Central State Hospital and several buildings in McMinnville and on the Vanderbilt Campus. The tower reminds me of Kirkland Hall at Vandy.)

With a squared three story tower, arched lanset windows and doors, a broad gabled roof and brick buttresses, this church is unchanged from its original exterior appearance. The building, plus a parish house and a marble mausoleum occupy an entire city block in the heart of Cleveland, and is surrounded by a crenelated stone wall with iron gates.

The most famous thing located here is the "Bleeding" Mausoleum. The church was a gift from John H. Craigmiles of Cleveland in memory of his seven year old daughter, Nina, who was killed in a railroad accident on Saint Luke's Day in 1871. She is buried in the Mausoleum.

Lee University Office of Admissions

I suppose this used to be a house of an adjoining property to the college in Cleveland, TN along Ocoee St. and then the college bought the house and converted it to offices.

And the house is along the Old Lee Highway, which is just a coincidence, being named after different Lee's.

September 11, 2001 Memorial - Cleveland, TN

Through blurred eyes we find the strength and courage to soar beyond the moment.
We look to the future knowing we can never forget the past.
God Bless America.

Dedicated to the Law Enforcement officers, firefighters, Emergency workers and military personnel who keep our community safe.

This memorial is located in front of the Bradley county courthouse in the center of the town square in Cleveland, TN.

P.M. Cragmiles House - Cleveland, TN

It seems like the neatest things in Cleveland, TN have the Cragmiles name on it, and so it is with this house along Ocoee St., not far from the center of town. Today the house is used as the History and Archives branch of the county Library system, which contains significant records about the Civil War and Reconstruction years in Bradley County and East Tennessee.

The home was built in 1866, when business leader P. M. Craigmiles announced the beginning of post-Civil War recovery in Cleveland with the construction of this impressive Italianate-style brick home. Today, the building is on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Craigmiles Hall - Cleveland, TN

Walter Craigmiles built this ornate Opera House on the Cleveland town square in 1878.

The Second Empire style hall has a brick veneer exterior, the roof is combination built-up and hip design. The windows are wooden double-hung or fixed.

Today, the main floor houses a restaurant and the other floors are offices. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The "Bleeding" Mausoleum - Cleveland, TN

The Craigmiles famly is an important one in Cleveland, TN.

In 1864, tragedy befell the family when young Nina Craigmiles went on a buggy ride with her grandfather. She was steering the horses when she lost control of them. The horses ran into an oncoming train, killing Nina instantly.

Nina's father John Craigmiles arranged with the local Episcopal congregation to build them a church building in her honor along with this mausoleum at the rear of the property.

The Mausoleum was built using fancy Italian marble. The walls are four feet thick and the entire memorial is 37 feet tall.The marble spire is topped with a cross. On the inside is a marble sarcophagus stnding in the center, surrounded by six shelves.

Tragedy continued to befall the rest of the family. First, another child was born but died very soon after childbirth. Then, John Cragmiles fell on an icy street and soon thereafter died of blood poisoning. Finally, the mom Adelia was killed when she was hit by a car. Each family member was buried here.

Now, for the "bleeding" part.

Townspeople soon began to notice after Nina was buried here that a red substance over time begane to eminate from the marble. It would be cleaned only to reappear later. According to legend, after each death in the family, the redness got more intense. Some of those red streaks can be seen in the picture, but you probably can't see it here unless you click on the image and view it large size.

There is a logical explanaiton, albeit boring if you like the haunted tales. Italian marble can contain small traces of lead, and lead will turn red over time when exposed to the elements.

Flag Waving along a military funeral motorcade

Taken in 2006, Bradley County residents lined Ocoee street in Cleveland, TN to show their support of Sgt. David Weir, who had been recently killed in Iraq. These flag wavers lined the street an hour early to see the funeral motorcade of the slain soldier. One of the reasons for the turnout here was to counter a small but high-profile anti-military protest group which came from out of state.

I just happened to be passing through when I saw this, as I was touring US Highway 11 in East Tennessee. Much of this stretch of US11 is the old Lee Hwy, which connected Chattanooga and Knoxville.

I am continually thankful for our brave soldiers who risk their lives to defend our freedom!