Grave of a Gypsy Queen

Evansville, Indiana

Elizabeth Harrison was a bona-fide gypsy queen who died in 1895. Her body was placed in a holding vault for over six months as word of her impending burial was circulated to the scattered members of her tribe. She was finally interred on April 1, 1896, attended by about 50 gypsies and several thousand onlookers, who hoped to see the burning of the gypsy queen's wagon at her grave site. It didn't happen; the service was as understated as the queen's tombstone.

Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville was a traditional gypsy burial ground because Elizabeth's gypsy king husband once owned a substantial piece of land in the area. He followed her to the grave four years later, shot while trying to break up a fight between two of his sons.