Tupelo Proud to Call Itself Elvis’ Birthplace
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Tupelo will forever be known to music fans as the birthplace of Elvis Presley‚ who was born Jan. 8‚ 1935‚ in a house made by his father Vernon‚ his uncle Vester Presley and grandfather Jesse Presley. To pay for the house‚ Vernon Presley borrowed $180 from his employer at the time.
A little more than two years later‚ still in the midst of the Great Depression and jobless‚ Vernon Presley lost the house where his son Elvis had been born. And thirteen years later Vernon‚ his wife Gladys and Elvis moved to Memphis‚ trying to find a better life for themselves.
Elvis never forgot Tupelo‚ and he donated the proceeds of a 1957 concert at the Tupelo Fair grounds to the city to purchase the land for a park on the eastern side of town. It was the only concert he ever gave in his birthplace.
Now‚ more than 60‚000 people from around the world visit the King’s birthplace each year‚ and with each visit they see that the legacies of Elvis Aaron Presley and Tupelo‚ Mississippi‚ are inextricably intertwined.
Photo by Greg Emens
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