The Birthplace / East Tupelo 1935-1948

The Birthplace, also, East Tupelo 1935-1948. . , The Birthplace. The Elvis Presley Birthplace Park was begun with proceeds Elvis donated from his 1957 concert at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair. Unchanged since it was built in the 1930's, the two-room birthplace sat unoccupied and in poor repair. As Elvis rose to stardom, thousands of fans began coming to Tupelo to see his birthplace and wishing to see inside the house. Seeing a worthy project for the park and the city, members of the East Heights Garden Club took the initiative to open the house to fans. While members scrubbed and painted, their husbands made structural repairs needed for the safety of visitors. Requests for period furnishings were published in the local paper. All items in the refitted home were donated by area residents. When the house was opened in 1971, Garden Club members served as volunteer hostesses, often meeting fans outside Tupelo to guide them to the Birthplace Park. Today the house stands as a memorial to the humble beginnings of Elvis' amazing career and fitting tribute to the vision and dedication of the women of the East Heights Garden Club. , , East Tupelo 1935-1948. When Vernon Presley built this home for his family, he, Gladys and Elvis were part of a small low-income community strengthened by family, friends and faith. Most were related in some way: by blood, church, work and the need to survive; all were seeking a better life. Women sewed in shirt factories and men drove trucks or worked in fields. Those who didn't work depended on their wives, children, the church or the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Front porches of the small frame houses were favorite gathering places when work was done. Kids read and swapped comic books and movie star magazines and went to ten-cent movies. Moon pies and RC Colas were favorite treats. Adults looked out for neighborhood children just as they did their own. Church revivals were annual summer events. Gospel singing drifted from open church windows throughout the neighborhood. Clapping, shouting and an occasional "Amen!" rang through the night air. Although born in this tiny house to poor parents on the "other side of the tracks," Elvis' early life was enriched by the love of family and the basic goodness of his neighborhood. The charity his family often needed and received instilled in him the generous spirit that characterized his life as an adult.