Episode 7.4: Bonds Chapel - The Chain on the Tombstone

At Bonds Chapel Cemetery in Orange County, Indiana, a mysterious chain-like mark stretches across the tombstone of Floyd E. Pruett.

Some say it grows by one link every year. Others believe it marks a murder, a curse, or a restless spirit that never left the cemetery.

In this episode, we explore the legends, eyewitness accounts, and possible explanations behind one of Indiana’s most enduring pieces of folklore: the chain on the tombstone.

Sources:

Baker, Ronald L. 1984. Hoosier Folk Legends. N.p.: Indiana University Press.

Dégh, Linda, ed. 1980. Indiana Folklore: A Reader. N.p.: Indiana University Press.

Find a Grave. "Floyd Elmer Pruett." Memorial no. 12819775. Accessed July 5,  2026.  

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12819775/floyd-elmer-pruett 

 Notebook of Ghosts. "The Chain on the Tombstone." August 10, 2017. Accessed July 5,   2026. 

https://notebookofghosts.com/2017/08/10/the-chain-on-the-tombstone/ 

Incollingo, Larry.  “Shrouded In Mystery.”  The Bloomington Herald Times.  November 

16. 1969.  Bloomington, Indiana.  Accessed online July 5, 2026.  https://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/folklore/id/758/