Tupelo in Lee County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)

Lee County Courthouse

— Elvis Presley Monument Plaques —

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 13, 2015

1. Lee County Courthouse Marker

Inscription. In 1946, Tupelo radio station WELO broadcast weekly music jamborees from the Courthouse. Mississippi Slim, who had his own show on WELO, arranged for Elvis to perform at the jamboree. Elvis’ dream was to become as famous as Mississippi Slim and to have his own radio show some day.

Erected 2003 by Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1946.

Location. 34° 15.523′ N, 88° 42.278′ W. Marker is in Tupelo, Mississippi, in Lee County. Marker is on North Spring Street north of Court Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located inside the fence, beside the sidewalk, on the east side of the former Lee County Courthouse building (now housing the Lee County Tax Collection office). Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 West Jefferson Street, Tupelo MS 38804, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lee County, Mississippi War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Tupelo Woman's Christian Temperance Union (within shouting distance of this marker); Tupelo Confederate Soldiers Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); The Younger Cabin / Confederate Headquarters

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Lyric Theatre (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Lyric Theater (about 300 feet away); Tupelo Hardware (about 500 feet away); Sit-Ins Led to Civil Rights Act of 1964 / F.W. Woolworth (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tupelo.

Also see . . .
1. Mississippi Slim (Wikipedia). Carvell Lee Ausborn (1923-1973), better known by his stage name, Mississippi Slim, was a hillbilly singer who had a radio show on Tupelo's WELO during the later 1940s and recorded for Tennessee Records. Ausborn also gained fame among Elvis Presley historians because he was one of the earliest musical influences of the young Presley and once let him sing on his radio show. (Submitted on January 19, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Supervisors OK Elvis Courthouse Plaque. Lee County supervisors agreed to allow a monument honoring Elvis Presley to be placed on the courthouse lawn, one of a series of memorials to be part of a driving tour through Tupelo. The courthouse monument would mark Presley's appearance on a live jamboree radio show broadcast from

Photographed By Rhonda Vanlandingham, October 16, 2022

2. Lee County Courthouse Marker

the southeast corner of the courthouse in the mid-1940s. The Tupelo native who was to become the king of rock and roll sang his first song on live radio during a Mississippi Slim's program on WELO during one of the jamborees. (Submitted on January 19, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Lee County Courthouse (former) • <i>southeast corner<br>(marker just out of frame on right)</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 13, 2015

3. Lee County Courthouse (former) • southeast corner
(marker just out of frame on right)

Photographed By Tom Bosse, August 23, 2020

4. Lee County Courthouse Marker

Lee County Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Tom Bosse, August 23, 2020

5. Lee County Courthouse

Credits. This page was last revised on December 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 19, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on December 26, 2023, by Rhonda Vanlandingham of Tecumseh, Oklahoma. 3. submitted on January 19, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 4, 5. submitted on August 28, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.