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Elvis and Tupelo


   Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935 in this small, two-room house built by his father and relatives in 1934 with borrowed money. The house was not painted for the Presleys were dirt poor. It was the depths of the Great Depression and Vernon lost the house within two years. They moved in with relatives next door. After Elvis became famous, the house was purchased and refurnished. Few of the articles inside the house are originals. They have been lost. However, those shown are as close as possible to the original articles that his mother, Gladys, his father, Vernon, and Elvis used.

The Commemorative Sign

 

THE HOUSE EXTERIOR

THE HOUSE INTERIOR





He was 13 when the family moved to Memphis where they lived in public housing. Although this is not the car they drove, it is the same make and model.

   

    In addition to the house and car, the birthplace site also has a chapel, a museum, and a gift shop. However, the McDonald's Restaurant on N. Glouster Street in Tupelo has interesting memorabilia, some better than the museum. Here are just a few interior shots from inside the restaurant.

 

 

 

 

Elvis died in Memphis, Tennessee on August 16, 1977, 42 years, seven months, and eight days after his twin brother, Jesse Garon.

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For more Rock 'n Roll History

Don Mabry
010506