Elvis was born in Tupelo on January 8, 1935 in the front room a 300-square-foot, two-room house built by his father. When he got rich, he bought the house, restored it, and it opened for tours while he was still alive. It’s still on its original location, although the surrounding buildings have disappeared.
I arrived on Tuesday morning shortly after the park opened, and there weren’t very many visitors. I paid $15 for the whole experience. I first went to the house. A guide inside pointed out the three things that are original — the fireplace in the front room, the stove in the kitchen, and the icebox, which the family took to Memphis with them.
The church Elvis attended with his family, and where he first sang in front of people, has been moved to the site. It was a Pentecostal Assembly of God church.
After a woman gave a talk, screens lowered and a 15-minute presentation of a typical church service with snippets of songs and a short section of a message. A young boy (as Elvis) came forward and sang “Jesus Loves Me.” The songs were ones I knew from my childhood, and the sermon included the gospel message. The woman talked about the healing and tongues that went on there, but they weren’t included in the video.
Elvis insisted that a chapel be built on the grounds. It’s near the church and included a stained-glass window.
Elvis recorded more gospel songs than any other genre, and his three Grammy’s were all for gospel songs. Insiders say that when he jammed in private with his friends, he frequently played gospel songs. You can’t really learn much about the man without hearing about his faith. My RA at Moody went to the church in Memphis where Elvis went when in town. My RA’s pastor knew Elvis and said he had no doubt that Elvis was saved. It could be. Obviously he was flawed. But seeing where he came from — the poverty, his father imprisoned for check fraud, the family losing even this tiny house to foreclosure — and then thinking about how suddenly he became immensely wealthy and popular, it’s easy to understand how he would have trouble. What he needed, and never had, was somebody to tell him no.
I walked around the grounds and saw the statues and other features. It was all over-the-top, of course, but interesting. Again, worth seeing but not worth going to see.
This statue is supposed to symbolize Elvis as a lad (life-size) and as a man (larger-than-life).
The guide in the church mentioned other Elvis-related places around town. I chose not to see them except for Johnnie’s Drive-in, opened in 1945, where Elvis supposedly ate. They even have an Elvis booth. It was unoccupied when I arrived, but while I was ordering, some old guy came and sat at it. It was no different from the other booths except for a small cardboard sign.
The ambiance was great. The burger and fries were mediocre.