Elvis Fans Flock to Tupelo to See His Birthplace
culture, elvis presley, elvis presley birthplace, elvis presley park, fans, recreation,
Fans know that Elvis Presley didn’t get his start in Memphis – he got it right here in Tupelo.
Elvis was born in 1935 in a two-room frame house his father‚ grandfather and uncle built the year before for $180. Although the family left the little house when Elvis was only 3‚ they continued living in Tupelo until he turned 13.
Today‚ the modest house is open to the public and forms a focal point for Tupelo’s Elvis Presley Park‚ which also includes a museum and gift shop and the Memorial Chapel‚ which opened in 1979 and was built with funds sent by fans.
“We feel like we want to focus on the innocence of Elvis‚” says Lisa Buse‚ executive director of the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum. “Our community and neighborhoods shaped his life. We feel like our place in history is his beginning and his roots.”
Over 60‚000 people from around the world visit the site each year to view Elvis’ humble early surroundings and a variety of objects from the star’s early life through his last concert.
The park was established after Elvis donated the proceeds of a 1957 concert at the Tupelo Fairgrounds to the city to purchase the land. At that time there wasn’t a park on the eastern side of town‚ according to Buse.
“That’s something he wanted to give back‚” she says.
Recently‚ a life-size bronze statue of Elvis at age 13 – when he left for Memphis – was erected on the grounds.
“That’s the turning point in his life‚” says Buse. “He’s a Tupelo boy.”
Story by Elizabeth Betts
Photo by Greg Emens
Comments
Leave your own comment:
