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 The most significant landmark of Tupelo's modern history is a modest, two-room house where the King of Rock and Roll was born on January 8, 1935. From this humble beginning, Elvis Presley began his swift rise to become the world's most popular entertainer.
There is a bedroom and a kitchen. That's it. A swing on the front porch. There's really not much to see, and that's what makes it all the more fascinating. Vernon Presley built the house himself with $180, and lost it two years after Elvis was born for inability to pay. Like so many who lived through the depression, the Presleys had it hard.
Tupelo bought the house and land with money provided from a 1956 Tupelo concert by Elvis himself, who wanted a park for neighborhood children. As an official Mississippi landmark, the birthplace is part of the 15-acre Elvis Presley Park. It includes expansion of the main parking lot to accommodate RVs, a garden walkway system, new entrance signs, and expanded gift shop and beautiful landscaping. |
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Below: The Chapel, built by donations from
his fans, is a popular attraction in the park offering a time for meditation. |
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"The Fountain of Life", a beautiful water feature, is a complete circle representing Elvis' life in Tupelo. It illustrates the years of Elvis' life with 13 upper water spouts representing the years that Elvis lived in Tupelo. The spouts then spill water over granite, a very hard stone symbolizing the enduring power of strong values learned during Elvis' formative years. The 29 lower spouts symbolize Elvis' life in Memphis and flow over a soft stone symbolizing the softer, better conditions of his life.
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Below: The "Elvis
at 13" bronze statue, which was unveiled on Elvis' 67th birthday,
memorializes Elvis as a young boy wearing overalls and carrying a guitar.
Below Ilse Blahak and the statue in 2014, and Karen Duquette with the
statue in 2012. (It is obvious that Karen is the bigger Elvis fan). |
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Below: In August, 2003, a story wall was
unveiled offering a collection of original, unedited stories from people
who knew Elvis during his Tupelo days |
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Below: The "Walk of Life", which
surrounds the house where Elvis was born. It is a scored concrete circle
with dated granite blocks denoting each year of Elvis' life from 1935
to 1977. The 1948 block marks the year in which Elvis and his family
left for Memphis. |
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Below: A 1939 green Plymouth
4-door sedan, similar to the car in which Elvis and his family rode
to Memphis in. It was the year of 1948 when the transformation of Elvis,
as a young Tupelo boy began his journey as Elvis, the world's greatest
entertainer. The car was purchased by the Tupelo Automobile Museum and
is leased to the Park for display. |
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NOTE: The two RV Gypsies were here also in 2012. 
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