Tupelo (population 38,300), Mississippi, is a destination location because this is the birthplace of Elvis Presley.
Elvis was born on January 8, 1935, in a tiny two-bedroom home that his father built for $180. Elvis had an identical twin brother named Jessie that died at childbirth, but he had no other brothers or sisters.
In 1945, Elvis made his first public appearance when he sang "Old Shep" in a youth talent contest that was broadcast over the radio. Then, in 1946, his Mother said that she would purchase a .22 caliber rifle for him for his birthday, but when they went to the Tupelo Hardwar store to look at rifles, Elvis changed his mind and had his mother buy him a guitar.
His pastor taught him how to play and Elvis could often be seen walking around town carrying his guitar and singing songs.
It was hard to find work in Tupelo, so in 1948 the Presley family move to Memphis.
In 1954, Sam Phillips from Sun Records had Elvis make a recording because he wanted to bring the "sound of African-American music" to a wider audience. A year later RCA Victor acquired Elvis's contract in a deal structured by Colonel Tom Parker. Parker went on to manage Elvis for more than two decades.
The first Elvis song released by RCA was "Heartbreak Hotel," which became the number one hit for 1956. Because of his "sexually provocative performative style" while singing, he was widely considered by parents to be a threat to youth morals. Thus, parents were relieved when in 1958 Elvis was drafted into the Army. However, after his tour in the Army Elvis returned and continued recording songs and making movies.
Although Elvis quit doing live performances for seven years, in 1968 he returned to the stage in a live television comeback special called Elvis. This led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world - Aloha from Hawaii.
Elvis died August 16, 1977, at the age of 42.
The Elvis birthplace exists today because in 1957 Elvis performed a concert at the Tupelo Fairgrounds and donated all of the proceeds to the City to purchase 15 acres of land and the house where he was born. The Assembly of God Church building where Elvis started singing gospel music was also moved to the site. In 1977, after Elvis's death, the City of Tupelo formed the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation that now governs and oversees the property and facilities.
We started our tour in the museum before going outside to see the tiny two-room shack where "The King of Rock and Roll" was born.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Also on the site is the actual Assembly of God Church building where Elvis sang his first gospel song - "Jesus Loves Me."
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Elvis had always dreamed of having a "place of meditation" near his home, so in 1979 a new chapel was built on the grounds. The stained glass windows were specifically designed for Elvis and the Elvis Fan Club purchased the church pews. The chapel is now available for weddings and special events.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
The life-size "Elvis at 13" statue portrays Elvis "in oversized overalls, a full open-collar shirt and plain shoes as evidence of the poverty and humbleness of those early years...The statue is positioned with the chapel on his right side and the museum to his left side, symbolizing the strong spiritual values he learned in Tupelo."
The "Fountain of Life" features thirteen upper waterspouts representing the years that Elvis lived in Tupelo and the hard granite base symbolizes the strong values he learned in his formative years. The 29 lower spouts symbolize the years Elvis spent in Memphis.
The Tupelo Hardware Store where Elvis purchased his first guitar for $7.90 is still in business and probably looks a lot like it did in 1946 when Elvis purchased his guitar. There are wooden ladders that slide along rails attached to the walls, so clerks can reach items on the upper shelves. In addition to a lot of hardware items, guitars are still sold in the store, along with a selection of other Elvis souvenir items.
Throughout the Tupelo downtown area there are guitars that have been decorated by different people and entities.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Located across the street from the Tupelo Hardware store is Tupelo Fairpark that contains the Courthouse, gardens, memorials, and statues. Visitors can even shake hands with Elvis! The statue was made from a famous 1956 photograph of Elvis reaching out to fans.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Not too far from the Elvis statue is a statue of Chief Piomingo, who on January 10, 1786, signed the Treaty of Hopewell. This was the first treaty between the Chickasaw Nation and the United States. Piomingo was considered to be "America's most influential Chickasaw ally" and received the Washington Peace Medal in 1792.
Tupelo National Battlefield is located along Main Street, not too far from the downtown area. This battle was significant because the Union Army's victory provided Sherman's troops a supply line that was used during the Atlanta Campaign.  |
| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
One of the items on my Bucket List was to drive the entire 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway. Although we did not have time to drive the entire Parkway, we did drive from the visitor center to a historic Chickasaw Village site. While I explored the Village site, Kolohe did a short hike on the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail to take pictures. After her hike, she decided that someday she wants to return and hike the entire 444 miles. I think I'll skip that outing.
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
Before leaving Mississippi, we stopped by PlayGarden Park in Fulton (population 3,980) to see the bronze sculptures by world-renowned artisan Tom Otterness. Sculptures of coins and houses of all sizes are found throughout the park.
On the web it states: "Some of his most famous work can be found in New York City, including an alligator seemingly coming out of a sewer and a multi-figure installation in part of the city's subway. These figures [at PlayGarden Park] are the same from 'The Marriage of Money and Real Estate' found off of NYC's Roosevelt Island."
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| Picture by Kolohe |
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| Picture by Kolohe |
BONUS PICTURES BY KOLOHE
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