Tupelo - Elvis's Birthplace 2.10.15

Afternoon 2nd October
Following our splendid lunch at Casey's, we all got back on the coach to head for Tupelo - Elvis's birthplace. Tupelo did not disappoint. We saw Elvis's two roomed (shotgun, as we were to learn later) house that his father and uncles built before he was born. Vernon Priestley borrowed 180 dollars from his employer and bought the wood to built the house on his employer's farmland. Unfortunately, Vernon was having difficulty repaying his employer by the time Elvis was born and toddling about and he got himself into a little trouble. Vernon raised a pig and sold it for 4 dollars but, as the buyer had negotiated down Vernon thought that too cheap; so he made the mistake of changing the cheque from 4  to 14 dollars. This was fraud and Vernon went to jail. He only served 8 months of his 2 year sentence because people spoke up for him, still during the 8 months he lost his job and his home. The family had to move in with relatives until he managed to get other accommodation.
Elvis's mother, Gladys always watched over Elvis hoping to keep him safe. She had lost his twin in childbirth and always blamed herself and did not want to lose Elvis.
The site also included a museum with lots of Elvis momentos, a restaurant where they do marriages and the Church where Elvis attended and first sang. A few years after he became famous Elvis heard that his old house and some land around it were for sale. He arranged for Tupelo to buy the property and he contributed his earnings from two Tupelo Dairy Fairs towards it's upkeep as a museum. He once sang at a Tupelo Dairy Fair in his early days, so they were pleased to get him back as a star.

The coach travelled on to Memphis and an orientation tour passed Beale Street, which is where it all happens apparently. Later in the evening Alan and I walked down Beale Street and shared a plate of ribs, chips and coleslaw with a live band playing in the background. A great place which my hairdresser recommended. Although I don't like crowds, particularly at night and drinking, Beale Street was closed to traffic on Friday and Saturday nights and police cars were parked at each junction; which had the effect of making the street feel safe.

No train schedule suitable for this segment of the journey. Amtrak only run one service on each track per day.