Posted January 8, 200718 yr Newly Renovated Elvis Birthplace Museum in Tupelo Debuts Today On the 72nd anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock’n’Roll, the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation formally opened and dedicated the totally renovated Birthplace Museum to Elvis fans worldwide and to the memory of his personal friend Janelle McComb, whose personal collection of memorabilia given to her by Elvis is highlighted in the museum. The quarter of a million dollar project, completed last week, is the result of a joint funding by the City of Tupelo, the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Foundation. Foundation Chairman Henry Dodge said, “This is truly a world class museum, one that Elvis fans worldwide will want to see, in which the people of Tupelo can take great pride, and a symbol of continued cooperation to keep Elvis’ birthplace the leading tourist venue in Mississippi.†The project was designed by Design 500 Inc., of Memphis, and built by Germantown Contracting, both of whom specialize in museum projects. Scott Blake, the Design 500’s exhibit designer for the renovations to the Birthplace Museum, says, “The museum tells an intriguing story of Elvis' boyhood in Tupelo. Using the extensive Janelle McComb collection shown in a new light, the exhibit explores the poor urban neighborhood of Old Saltillo Road and the 1930's world of garment factories and wholesale grocers. The young couple, Gladys and Vernon, eloped to Pontotoc to get married and borrowed the three dollars for the marriage license fee. The visitor will hear about the strong influences of gospel, country, and blues in the young boy's life. They will meet his childhood friends who played in the hills behind the simple two room house. In sum, they will understand all of the powerful influences that joined to make this pauper prince the King of Rock and Roll. The final portion of the exhibit shows Elvis as the entertainer and concludes with the famous 1956 Homecoming Concert a decade after leaving town with his family destitute and out of work.†Blake says, "Our hope is to capture the gritty soul of Elvis childhood, countered by the embrace of his family and friends, and to hear again the sights and sound that made Elvis Elvis." The Birthplace, museum, chapel and gift shop are open to the public seven days a week, from 9 until five Monday through Saturday, and from one until five on Sundays. Foundation Executive Director Dick Guyton said, “We are keeping our current fee structure of $7 for adults to visit both the museum and Elvis birthplace house. Elvis’ fans and this community are supportive of our efforts to ensure that this will always be a source of pride to the people of Tupelo and of Mississippi. We encourage everyone to visit and see all of the additions we have made over the past few years, including the Fountain of Life, Story Wall, Walk of Life, Elvis at 13 statue and now the totally rebuilt museum.†Visit ElvisPresleyBirthplace.com. Source: www.elvis.com Tupelo is a great place to visit and the new museum sounds great Here's a pic I took of Elvis' birthplace :D http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/_14_00122.jpg
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