Driving to New Orleans today, I stumbled across royalty. In Meridian, Mississippi, I went looking for Jimmie Rodgers, but found the King and Queen of the Gypsies.
As I was driving through town, I noticed a cemetery on the side of the hill. It was not the kind of cemetery with neat, compact rows of chiseled granite (although there were some newer stones). These marble stones were worn and weathered and arranged in a more organic layout. I knew this graveyard had potential so I stopped to look around.
At the top of the hill there was a marble cross with a large marble slab at its base. The inscription read, "Queen of the Gypsies." From the cross hung mardi gras beads and small plastic coin purse. Other gifts included an empty bottle, a plastic Ronald McDonald figure, a packet of raspberry jelly, glass beads, lots of coins, a framed photo of the Queen, a guitar pick, a single large hoop earring and a ring with a big plastic purple stone. Next to the Queen there were the markers for the King of the Gypsies and Sister to the King.
This is rom an article published in the Meridian Star,
A royal burial by Anne McKee:
The year is 1915 and the sudden death of beloved Gypsy Queen Callie Mitchell brought an estimated 20,000 people to the Deep South and the small southern town of Meridian to attend her funeral and burial.
The Queen of the Gypsies of America and her tribe were camped near Meridian when the Queen died during the delivery of a child. The chance location of a Meridian Funeral home and the Episcopal Church, which was equipped and willing to conduct the services for larger numbers of her people, plus Rose Hill Cemetery, a well-maintained and historic location even in the year of 1915, all played important roles in making the decision.
