Little Nina Craigmiles won't be forgotten in Cleveland. At the age of only seven, this carefree child was struck with a tragic death. The whole town grieved. But no one grieved as deeply as her father, John Craigmiles, who constructed both the St. Luke's Episcopal Church and its grand white marble mausoleum in her name. Nina's small body rests in the sarcophagus in the center of the mausoleum. The day was October 18, 1871 -- St. Luke's Day. Nina and her grandfather were enjoying a speedy buggy ride; Nina liked to drive the horses at dangerous paces. It is quite unfortunate that she wasn't paying careful attention or lost control of the horses, when her buggy crossed the path of a high speed train. Nina was killed instantly. The red stains appeared on the white marble of her mausoleum soon after she was placed inside. But Nina's death wasn't the only tragedy the Craigmiles family endured. Soon after Nina's death, an infant son was born and he lived for only a few hours. This child remains nameless. John Craigmiles died in 1899, from blood poisoning that occurred after a fall on an icy street. His wife Adelia was hit and killed by an automobile on a Cleveland street in 1928. Each member of the Craigmiles family was placed in the mausoleum, and with each tragedy, the red stains deepened. The stained marble blocks were replaced several times, but the red stains refused to be erased. They, too, were replaced with each new block.
Little Nina Craigmiles won't be forgotten in Cleveland. At the age of only seven, this carefree child was struck with a tragic death. The whole town grieved. But no one grieved as deeply as her father, John Craigmiles, who constructed both the St. Luke's Episcopal Church and its grand white marble mausoleum in her name. Nina's small body rests in the sarcophagus in the center of the mausoleum. The day was October 18, 1871 -- St. Luke's Day. Nina and her grandfather were enjoying a speedy buggy ride; Nina liked to drive the horses at dangerous paces. It is quite unfortunate that she wasn't paying careful attention or lost control of the horses, when her buggy crossed the path of a high speed train. Nina was killed instantly. The red stains appeared on the white marble of her mausoleum soon after she was placed inside. But Nina's death wasn't the only tragedy the Craigmiles family endured. Soon after Nina's death, an infant son was born and he lived for only a few hours. This child remains nameless. John Craigmiles died in 1899, from blood poisoning that occurred after a fall on an icy street. His wife Adelia was hit and killed by an automobile on a Cleveland street in 1928. Each member of the Craigmiles family was placed in the mausoleum, and with each tragedy, the red stains deepened. The stained marble blocks were replaced several times, but the red stains refused to be erased. They, too, were replaced with each new block.
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