The Gypsy Queen
Published 11:04 am Monday, September 14, 2026
The year is 1915 and the sudden death and burial of beloved Gypsy Queen Kelly Mitchell in Rose Hill Cemetery, Meridian Mississippi, brought an estimated 20,000 people to view her body and attend the funeral
The February 7 1915 issue of the Meridian Dispatch Newspaper describes the scene, “At one side of the parlors, with candelabra at the head and foot stands the magnificent silver-trimmed metallic casket. Hermetically sealed within, in all the barbaric splendor of a medieval Queen lies Mrs. Callie (Kelly) Mitchell, Queen of the Gypsies of America. The swarthy face with its high cheekbones is typical of the Romany tribes and the head, the upper portion of which is covered with bright silken drapery pinned at the back with pins, rests upon a cushion of filmy silk and satin. The hair is braided Gypsy fashion and the dark tresses shine. The body was attired in a Royal robe of Gypsy Green and other bright colors contrasting vividly with the somber hues usual under such circumstances. Two necklaces are around the neck, one of shells, an heirloom that was descended through generations. The lower part of the body is draped with ‘Sacred linen’ treasured by the Gypsy bands for the use only when death overtakes one of their numbers. When the children arrive, each will put a memento of some kind in the casket and it will devolve upon the youngest child to place her mother’s earrings in the ear.
Her tribe believed in order that the journey of the Queen might be without discomfort, the coffin was equipped with comb, brush and other toilet accessories, as well as a supply of working clothes for use on the other side of the Styx.
Members of the Mitchell tribe, at the time one of the largest in the country, came to Meridian from all parts of the United States to pay tribute; a newsreel was made and exhibited throughout the country.
The funeral services took place on February 12 and were held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Meridian, Mississippi with the rector, The Rev. H. W. Wells officiating. More than 5000 people were at the cemetery to witness the last rites. It was a large and imposing funeral procession that made its way from the undertaking establishment to the Episcopal Church. The college band headed the procession, followed by male members of the Gypsy band on foot and bare headed with Chief Mitchell, members of his immediate family, and the women and children in carriages. The hearse, with the remains of the Gypsy Queen, headed the carriage procession. The attendance at the church was large….so large that it was impossible for all the people to gain entrance. The services were those of the Episcopal Church and were in no way added to by the Gypsies.”
This account of a beloved queen and her tragic death brought thousands of people to her gravesite during the last 100-plus years since her burial, also bringing gifts to be left on her tombstone. Our curiosity for this glimpse into the early 1900s and the immense love and respect one woman received from her people still brings many visitors to her grave in this 21st Century.
As a result of her untimely death in 1915 and the chance location of a Meridian Funeral Home and the Episcopal Church equipped and willing to conduct the services for huge numbers of her people has made The Rose Hill Cemetery, in part, a Gypsy Royalty Burial site. After the queen’s death, her husband, King Emil and other family members, Queen Flora Mitchell, Mike Wilson Mitchell, leader of the Mississippi Tribe and Mehil Mitchell, eight-year-old nephew of King Emil, who died of influenza in Jackson on November 12 1918, are all buried in Rose Hill Cemetery.
And so on these September days memories of a cemetery of historic uniqueness once again brings our notice, and as we Meridianites and Mississippians travel Eighth Street on our busy way to our destinations, a chance look into the world of yesteryear is ours for the taking as a much loved Gypsy Queen once again commands our attention.
What — 19th Annual Rose Hill Historic Costumed Cemetery Tour
Where: 7th Street and 40th Avenue, Meridian, MS
When — Saturday, Sept 26 begins at 6-8 pm
Cost — FREE
More Info — See The Rose Hill Company of Players FB Page or visit: http://www.historicrosehillcemeterytours.com/
Call: 601-479-2493
The Rose Hill Company of Players is a vital participate of Mississippi’s Creative Economy. Our brand has always been teaching history and heritage through the arts of storytelling and drama. This is NOT a HAUNTED tour.