In case you're not familiar with the Natchez Trace Parkway it's a 444-mile long drive through 3 states (MS-AL-TN) with limited entrances and exits, not one single stop sign or traffic light, a modest 50MPH speed limit and most importantly, absolutely no commerial vehicles allowed (i.e. 18-wheelers). We drove it end-to-end back in March of 2019.
The campground we left was only 5-miles from the Interstate entrance and the campground we were headed to was only 4-miles from the Natchez Trace Parkway exit. It would have been a nice drive, but just 4-miles into the Natchez Trace Parkway drive we found out the Parkway was closed and had to follow a 16-mile detour route along some very rough 2-lane Mississippi backroads to arrive at our destination.
FRIDAY - Just 3-days ago we visited Graceland Mansion, the final resting place of Elvis Presley. Today we're going to visit the Elvis Birthplace, a modest "shotgun" style home in Tupelo, MS where on January 8th, 1935 Elvis was born. His father and uncle had built the house together with a $180 loan from his father's employer.
Two and a half years later the home was repossesed for lack of payment after Elvis' father was jailed several months for forging a check.
Elvis was just 13 years old when his family moved to Memphis in search of steady employment and a better life.
ELVIS' BIRTHPLACE
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the Presley's drove when they left Tupelo for Memphis. It is not the Presley's car.
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was moved in 2008 from about a block away and onto the property.
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but Elvis's father did help stage and recreate the layout of the funiture we saw today.
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where only the stove and fireplace are original to the home.
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It depicts Elvis at age 11 when he received his first guitar on his birthday
and him towards the end of his career in one of his lavish Las Vegas costumes.
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This bridge was labeled "Bridge Over Troubled Water", sound familiar?
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There is also a small two room museum explaining what Elvis' early childhood was like. They asked that you do not take photos in the museum, so we honored that request. There are numerous story boards and a few costumes and photographs from the early days, but since Elvis was not yet "Elvis" not much has been saved from his childhood.
Even his original guitar's location is still unknown and much of the Preseley's belongings were sold when they made the move to Memphis.
Looking back, I wish we had visited here first, before visiting Graceland. It would have been so much more appreciated. Graceland is just so overwhelming!
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