Published: October 31, 2007 12:33 am      

Rose Hill, where kings and queens rest

History, folklore and legend reside in the soil of cemetery

The idea of leaving an offering on a grave hoping a problem will be solved with the next rising sun may seem foreign to many. But the evidence of such beliefs is very apparent on a grave in Rose Hill Cemetery. Trinkets, or offerings, have been left there for the sake of hope.

Walton Moore Jr. is a member of the Masons who are in charge of taking care of Rose Hill and Magnolia Gardens cemeteries in Meridian. He is also the historian and tour guide for Rose Hill. It was a special tour Tuesday night that Moore led through the many old headstones. To most people, being in a cemetery at night would not be their first choice. But the long shadows cast on this night, coupled with Moore’s seemingly infinite knowledge of the people now resting there, yielded more of a treat than a trick.

Of course the site that drew the most questions from the group concerned the “Gypsy Queen,” Kelly Mitchell, who died in 1915 from childbirth in Demopolis, AL. Beads, jewelry, coins, polished rocks, baby toys, candy bars and many other items cover her grave. It is said if you have a problem, you bring an offering, ask the queen to help you solve it, and she will come in your dreams that night with the solution.

“Every so often I have to clean some of the items off the cover stone,” said Moore, now in his 80s. “I still see gypsies who come to the grave every so often. I talk to them a great deal to learn as much as I can. These are very smart people. They’ve had to be in order to survive this long.”

One of the myths, that there is treasure buried with the queen, is totally false, Moore said. The cover slab of stone laid over the grave to protect the casket and the queen has been broken many times. Moore has to glue it back together whenever that happens as he does with other monuments that are broken by falling tree limbs or jealous wives. Finally, a concrete slab had to be poured years ago because the break-ins became so prevalent.

The placement of the gypsy graves also is curious as it is next to the ornate monument and resting places of one of Meridian’s most famous families — the Ragsdales.

“The gypsy lineage is a popular part of Meridian,” Moore said. “Some are still living here and many more pass through here to pay their respects to the queen.”

Or to offer up their problem to Kelly Mitchell in hopes she will lead them in death as she did in life.