THE SHOT-GUN SHACK
Where It All Began


The house was called "The Shot-Gun Shack" because you could stand at the front door, shoot a shot gun all the way thru the house and out the back door.

What The House Looked Like When Elvis Lived There



This house was built in 1934 by Vernon, Vester and their father, Jesse Presley. Vernon Presley borrowed $180.00 from Mr. Orville Bean, the man he worked for in a dairy at that time. Vernon was very proud of the fact that he built the interior door all by himself. The hammer they used is in the Elvis museum, located next to the property.


This Is Where It All Began...The Birthplace of Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi is the only location in the world where you can see, feel and touch where the King of Rock & Roll began his musical journey.


Today The Little 2-Room House Is Open For Visitors


Birth Place Facility Hours - 9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Monday through Saturday
May thru September

9:00 am to 5:30 pm
Monday thru Saturday
October thru April

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Sunday year round

Closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas


Click Here For A Side View
Of The House


Click Here For A Painting
Of The House


You Find This Historical Marker Out By The Right Side Of The House



Only in Tupelo can you walk into This Room where he breathed his first breath, take a stroll to his favorite location as a boy to relax looking over Tupelo, and see first hand how it all shaped this young boy from Mississippi into the international rock & roll music legend he is today

On January 8, 1935, Gladys Presley gave birth to twin boys in this room. Jesse Garon was stillborn. The other twin was named Elvis Aaron Presley. Work was hard to find. When Elvis was about two and a half years old, Vernon lost the house for lack of payment. At that time the family moved next door to live with Vernon's parents, Minnie and Jesse. Over the next few years Vernon and Gladys worked at various jobs in and around Tupelo. Gladys sewed for Reed Manufacturing and Tupelo Garment Company. Vernon drove a truck for L.P. McCarty and another wholesale company. He also did some sharecropping. The family moved several more times in Tupelo. When Elvis went from Lawhon to Milam School the family moved closer to Milam school.


The furniture in the house today is NOT the original furniture but is accurate to the time period when the Presleys lived here. It is similar and placed in the approximate location as it was when they lived here, according to Vernon Presley. The basic structure is original. The ceiling and roof have been replaced. The house is located on the original location it was built

This Is The 2nd Room In The House


Elvis Age 11

At age 11, Presley's mother took him to the Tupelo Hardware Company to pick out a birthday present. His eye was quickly caught by a 22-caliber rifle ...which made his mother none too happy. Store owner Forrest Booth then made a suggestion that would change the music world forever. He turned Presley's attention away from the rifle and towards his first guitar. It cost $7.60.

Elvis would often take his guitar to the overlook and play it while looking over the lights of Tupelo. Often he would dream of a better day and a greater, more meaningful life, for himself and his family. Vernon worried about his family and their future in Tupelo. In November of 1948 when Elvis had just begun the eigth grade, Vernon decided to move the family to Memphis in hopes of finding a better way of life for the Presleys. They sold all the furniture that they had at the time, loaded what was left in, and on top of, their 1939 Plymouth and headed for Memphis. And as you all know, the rest is history.


JESSE GARON

You don't hear or read too much about Jesse Garon, Elvis' older twin brother, because not much is known. He's said to be buried at Priceville Memorial Gardens at an unmarked grave. Some say this is where he's buried



It's also said, since the family was so poor, Jesse was buried in a shoe box, but there are some things I guess we'll never know. One thing we Do know, Elvis never forgot his "roots" and he was a very humble man even when he was at the Top of his profession.


SHOTGUN SHACK PAGE 2


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