Like any other state, Mississippi has its fair share of legends, lore, and mystery. One of the state’s most baffling mysteries involves the Lady in Red, whose perfectly preserved corpse was found decades ago on a Mississippi plantation. To this day, many facts about the Lady in Red, including her identity, remain unknown. Read on to learn about the baffling Mississippi mystery of the lady in red found on the Egypt Plantation.
At first glance, Lexington appears to be just like any other small town in Mississippi.
Jimmy Smith/Flickr
However, Lexington is anything but typical, and that’s because it’s the final resting place of the Lady in Red, one of Mississippi’s most intriguing and mysterious residents.
Natalie Maynor/Flickr More specifically, the notorious gravesite can be found in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington.
Rather small in size and surrounded by towering tombstones, the gravesite could easily be overshadowed, but that’s simply not the case, as its occupant is shrouded in mystery.
Natalie Maynor/Flickr
The coffin that contained the Lady in Red was discovered in 1969 on the Egypt Plantation, which is in the tiny town of Cruger.
Google Maps Newspaper reports state, the coffin was found by a backhoe operator while attempting to install a septic tank. When the backhoe came in contact with a foreign object just four feet below the surface, workers quickly gathered to investigate and were shocked to see a glass-top coffin, which contained the body of a woman in a red velvet dress.
Even more intriguing than the discovery of the unmarked gravesite was the condition of the Lady in Red.
H. Peters/Wikimedia At the time of her unearthing, the Lady in Red had been dead for an estimated 75 years yet her corpse wasn’t decomposing, and that’s because she was preserved amazingly well in a body-shaped casket that was filled with alcohol, a method of preservation that was common prior to the Civil War.
Word quickly spread about the discovery of the coffin and local researchers set out to identify the Lady in Red.
Chillin662/Wikimedia Unfortunately, her identity was never discovered. Her date of birth and death also remain a mystery. Based on her attire and the method of preservation used, historians estimate that she was born in 1835. Not long after her discovery, the Lady in Red was moved from Cruger to her final resting place in Lexington.
Though nothing’s been proven, there are several theories regarding the Lady in Red’s identity and how she ended up in an unmarked grave.
Matthew Brady/Wikimedia Some think her coffin fell off a wagon and never reached its final burial site. Then there are others who speculate that she was a paddleboat passenger, who died while traveling along the nearby Yazoo River.
Jimmy Smith/Flickr
Natalie Maynor/Flickr
More specifically, the notorious gravesite can be found in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington.
Google Maps
Newspaper reports state, the coffin was found by a backhoe operator while attempting to install a septic tank. When the backhoe came in contact with a foreign object just four feet below the surface, workers quickly gathered to investigate and were shocked to see a glass-top coffin, which contained the body of a woman in a red velvet dress.
H. Peters/Wikimedia
At the time of her unearthing, the Lady in Red had been dead for an estimated 75 years yet her corpse wasn’t decomposing, and that’s because she was preserved amazingly well in a body-shaped casket that was filled with alcohol, a method of preservation that was common prior to the Civil War.
Chillin662/Wikimedia
Unfortunately, her identity was never discovered. Her date of birth and death also remain a mystery. Based on her attire and the method of preservation used, historians estimate that she was born in 1835. Not long after her discovery, the Lady in Red was moved from Cruger to her final resting place in Lexington.
Matthew Brady/Wikimedia
Some think her coffin fell off a wagon and never reached its final burial site. Then there are others who speculate that she was a paddleboat passenger, who died while traveling along the nearby Yazoo River.
Watch the drone footage below to see more of the historic Odd Fellows Cemetery.
For more information on the Lady in Red’s gravesite, visit the Odd Fellows Cemetery website.
The mysterious lady in red found on Egypt Plantation in Mississippi may just remain an unsolved mystery. Without more information, we all will be left in the dark. Did you know about the Lady in Red? Have you ever visited her gravesite? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.
This isn’t the only Mississippi mystery that will have you scratching your head. Read about eight other Mississippi mysteries in this article.
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Address: 965 Rockport Rd, Lexington, MS 39095, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
More Plantations in Mississippi January 03, 2023 Chris Muras Where is the Lady in Red buried? The Lady in Red is now buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington, Mississippi. She was moved after her discovery on April 24, 1969, on the Egypt Plantation in Cruger, Mississippi while the land was being dug for a septic system. She was found in a Fisk iron coffin with a glass viewing window. What was the purpose of the window in the iron coffin? The window in the iron coffin had multiple purposes. It allowed the next of kin to identify the coffin’s occupant without having to open the coffin and release unpleasant odors or even possible disease. A secondary reason for the window was an extra measure to prevent someone from being buried alive. If by chance they were still living condensation would form inside the coffin when they breathe. What is the oldest plantation in Mississippi? The oldest plantation in Mississippi is the Selma Plantation located in Natchez, Mississippi. The home was built in 1811 by Gerard Chittocque Brandon. This Federal style building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 1989. Are there still plantations in Mississippi? Mississippi plantations still exist. Some plantation homes have been restored and are open for tours, others are currently being lived in, and others lie abandoned and being reclaimed by nature. Here are a few plantations in Mississippi that are slowly being taken over by the passing of time:
- Melmont: Natchez, MS
- Mount Holly: Lake Washington, MS
- Arlington: Natchez, MS
- Prospect Hill: Lorman, MS
- Saragossa: Natchez, MS
- Georgianna: Cary, MS
- Susie B. Law House: Lake Washington, MS Read more about these old abandoned Mississippi plantations and see photos of their current state. Some of them may not last much longer before nature takes them over completely.
The OIYS Visitor Center
More Plantations in Mississippi
January 03, 2023
Chris Muras
Where is the Lady in Red buried? The Lady in Red is now buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington, Mississippi. She was moved after her discovery on April 24, 1969, on the Egypt Plantation in Cruger, Mississippi while the land was being dug for a septic system. She was found in a Fisk iron coffin with a glass viewing window. What was the purpose of the window in the iron coffin? The window in the iron coffin had multiple purposes. It allowed the next of kin to identify the coffin’s occupant without having to open the coffin and release unpleasant odors or even possible disease. A secondary reason for the window was an extra measure to prevent someone from being buried alive. If by chance they were still living condensation would form inside the coffin when they breathe. What is the oldest plantation in Mississippi? The oldest plantation in Mississippi is the Selma Plantation located in Natchez, Mississippi. The home was built in 1811 by Gerard Chittocque Brandon. This Federal style building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 1989. Are there still plantations in Mississippi? Mississippi plantations still exist. Some plantation homes have been restored and are open for tours, others are currently being lived in, and others lie abandoned and being reclaimed by nature. Here are a few plantations in Mississippi that are slowly being taken over by the passing of time:
- Melmont: Natchez, MS
- Mount Holly: Lake Washington, MS
- Arlington: Natchez, MS
- Prospect Hill: Lorman, MS
- Saragossa: Natchez, MS
- Georgianna: Cary, MS
- Susie B. Law House: Lake Washington, MS Read more about these old abandoned Mississippi plantations and see photos of their current state. Some of them may not last much longer before nature takes them over completely.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
The Lady in Red is now buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Lexington, Mississippi. She was moved after her discovery on April 24, 1969, on the Egypt Plantation in Cruger, Mississippi while the land was being dug for a septic system. She was found in a Fisk iron coffin with a glass viewing window.
What was the purpose of the window in the iron coffin?
The window in the iron coffin had multiple purposes. It allowed the next of kin to identify the coffin’s occupant without having to open the coffin and release unpleasant odors or even possible disease. A secondary reason for the window was an extra measure to prevent someone from being buried alive. If by chance they were still living condensation would form inside the coffin when they breathe.
What is the oldest plantation in Mississippi?
The oldest plantation in Mississippi is the Selma Plantation located in Natchez, Mississippi. The home was built in 1811 by Gerard Chittocque Brandon. This Federal style building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 1989.
Are there still plantations in Mississippi?
Mississippi plantations still exist. Some plantation homes have been restored and are open for tours, others are currently being lived in, and others lie abandoned and being reclaimed by nature. Here are a few plantations in Mississippi that are slowly being taken over by the passing of time:
- Melmont: Natchez, MS
- Mount Holly: Lake Washington, MS
- Arlington: Natchez, MS
- Prospect Hill: Lorman, MS
- Saragossa: Natchez, MS
- Georgianna: Cary, MS
- Susie B. Law House: Lake Washington, MS
Read more about these old abandoned Mississippi plantations and see photos of their current state. Some of them may not last much longer before nature takes them over completely.
