April 17th - Elvis's Birthplace - Tupelo, MS

Continuing with our "Elvis" portion of the trip (the Natchez Trace runs right by Tupelo), we stopped at a very nice RV park and spent a couple of days here. Of course, that meant a visit to Elvis's birthplace, and a drive around town to see "Elvis's childhood". Some of the buildings were still there, but even where Elvis's old house stands is different. Now there is the one house and the museum grounds. When Elvis was a child, there were other houses on the block, similar to his.

This is not the actual car owned by the Presley family, but is similar to the one in which they left Tupelo for Memphis, in November of 1948. Elvis reported in an interview that they put all their belongs into and on top of their car and left in the middle of the night, heading for a "better life". The furniture in the house today is NOT the original furniture but is accurate to the time period when the Presley's lived here. It is similar and placed in the approximate location as it was when they lived here, according to Vernon Presley. The basic structure is original. The ceiling and roof have been replaced. The house is located on the original location it was built.

This house was built in 1934 by Vernon, Vester and their father, Jesse Presley. Vernon Presley borrowed $180.00 from Mr. Orville Bean, the man he worked for in a dairy at that time. Vernon was very proud of the fact that he built the interior door all by himself. The hammer they used is in the museum.

Gladys, Elvis and Vernon Presley

On January 8, 1935, Gladys Presley gave birth to twin boys in this room. Jesse Garon was stillborn. The other twin was named Elvis Aaron Presley.

Work was hard to find. When Elvis was about two and a half years old, Vernon lost the house for lack of payment. At that time the family moved next door to live with Vernon’s parents, Minnie and Jesse.

Over the next few years Vernon and Gladys worked at various jobs in and around Tupelo. Gladys sewed for Reed Manufacturing and Tupelo Garment Company. Vernon drove a truck for L.P. McCarty and another wholesale company. He also did some sharecropping. The family moved several more times in Tupelo. When Elvis went from Lawhon to Milam School the family moved closer to Milam school.Elvis would often take his guitar to the overlook and play it while looking over the lights of Tupelo. Often he would dream of a better day and a greater, more meaningful life for himself and his family.

"Elvis at Age 13" Unveiled in Tupelo, MS. on the 67th anniversary of the birth of Elvis, and dedicated to Elvis fans worldwide on August 9, 2002. The sculpture is 5' 5", the height of Elvis when he was 13 years old and left Tupelo for Memphis, TN.

We missed the Azalea Festival, but there were blooms a-plenty on the Elvis Birthplace Grounds.

The exterior of the museum and part of the wall holding tidbits of memory from friends of Elvis while he lived in Tupelo.

The Elvis Presley Museum was originally opened in 1992 and consisted mainly of the personal collection of Janelle McComb, a Tupelo resident and long-time family friend of Elvis and the Presley's. Completely renovated in 2006, the state-of-the-art museum still pays tribute to Janelle McComb's friendship with Elvis as the genesis of the museum through an exhibit area titled "Remembrances of Things Past." The new museum exhibit contains Tupelo artifacts, large photomurals and graphics and two audiovisual presentations that brings to life the childhood world of Elvis in Tupelo including his family and his first music.

Interestingly enough, is the fact that Vernon Presley got a two year jail sentence for forging a check for $4.00. Crime sure didn't pay in THOSE days!!!!!

The Fountain of Life features a marker for each year of Elvis's life in Tupelo.

Elvis dreamed of having a "place of meditation" at the Elvis Presley Birthplace Park. Before his death, he shared that dream with friend Janelle McComb who envisioned adding a chapel to the Park. The fans made that dream a reality with their generous donations.

The chapel was designed by Johnson & McCarty Architects, a Tupelo firm, and was dedicated in 1979. Laukhuff Studios in Memphis designed the stained glass windows specifically for the Elvis Presley Chapel, and the pews were purchased with funds provided by Elvis Presley Fan Clubs. The pulpit, where Elvis' bible rests, is the original pulpit from the First Assembly of God Church which donated it to the chapel.

While not caught up in "Elvis Mania" when we were young, as adults, we have come to appreciate the tremendous accomplishments of Elvis Presley during his all-too short lifetime. As you tour the areas which Elvis inhabited during his lifetime, you also realize the impact he has had since his death!!! One of the things I find most amazing is that he never wrote a single one of his songs! I'm sure there are other artists that have done the same thing, but most of the really big names do or did write the majority of their own material.