Tupelo's City Council authorised improvements to Elvis Presley birthplace in Mississippi and agreed to accept the work as a donation to the city. The proposed expansion of the gift shop at the museum and improvements to the restrooms are expected to cost $100,000.

It will cost the city nothing as members of the Elvis Presley birthplace board have guaranteed repayment of a 10-year loan to cover the costs. The work will involve extending the south end of the museum and gift center 20 feet. "The most pressing need ... is upgrading of the rest rooms," admits Donna Kaye Randle, board secretary of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation of Tupelo. The changes would increase traffic through the gift shop, and the additional space, a higher ceiling and more use of glass should also enhance gift shop marketing, said Donna. The Elvis Presley Foundation members believe increasing visitation to the center will be based on attracting more tour buses. The improvements will be needed to accommodate such tours. As yet no date for completing of the expansion has been set.

Elvis Tourist Museum in Tupelo

Museum

Name: Elvis Aron Presley: born in Tupelo, Mississippi at 4:35 AM January 8, 1935 during The Great Depression. Times were hard everywhere, but especially in the rural South. The national average annual salary was $1,368 unemployment was 25% Milk was 14cents a quart & bread 9cents a loaf. To escape the dire circumstances people amused themselves with board games like the new Parker Brothers game Monopoly, and by reading mystery novels by such writers as Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler. Another pastime was listening to the radio. On the radio in the 1930's were comedians Jack Benny, George Burns/Gracie Allen, and Fibber McGee and Molly. Dramatic radio serials featuring The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet &The Shadow kept listeners enthralled. The music was that of the Big Bands were Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington &Tommy Dorsey as well as the folk songs of performers Woody Gutherie. George Gershwin, Cole Porter & Irving Berlin were the songwriters of the time. Popular Country singer Jimmie Rodgers had died in 1933. The "singing cowboy" Gene Autry was making movies and Len Slye (later world famous as cowboy star Roy Rogers) and the Sons of the Pioneers were becoming well known.

More on Tupelo, Mississippi

Tupelo, Mississippi Elvis Presley's birthplace now features a permanent reminder that the singer was a kid before he was king. The 350-pound bronze statue of a 13-year-old Elvis was unveiled to coincide with the 67th anniversary of the singer's birth.

Museum at Elvis Presley's birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi, reopened to the public on Monday 8 January 2007, on what would have been Elvis' 72nd birthday. The museum's $250,000 renovation was completed last week. The collection features memorabilia given by Elvis to his personal friend, Janelle McComb The museum tells the story of Elvis's childhood in Tupelo will be open for 7 days

The statue was created by sculptor Michiel Van der Sommen, at a cost $50,000, which was paid by the Tupelo Visitors and Convention Bureau. Henry Dodge, chairman of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation, said the idea of portraying Elvis as a young teen-ager was first suggested by a fan. "We chose 13 because that was the age his family left and went to Memphis," Dodge said. "He lived here until he was 13 and nobody can really take that from us."

Dodge said the goal was to depict Elvis in his "innocence and humbleness." The final product depicts a boy who doesn't quite resemble the face the whole world knows. The 13-year-old dressed in overalls carries a guitar at his left side with his right hand reaching forward. Elvis First Guitar The Elvis Presley Guided Tours lead to some of the most significant locations of Elvis' life in Tupelo.

The Assembly of God Church, location where Elvis and his family attended church under the pastor of Rev. Frank Smith
Lawhorn Elementary School, the first school Elvis attended
Johnnie's Drive-In, where Elvis shared moments with friend James Ausborne, while enjoying a cheeseburger and RC Cola
Shakerag, a significant part of Elvis' past where he gained influence from gospel and blues music
Tupelo Fairgrounds, where Elvis performed concerts in 1956 and 1957
Tupelo Hardware - where Elvis bought his first guitar
Lee County Courthouse, where Elvis performed his first live radio show hosted by Mississippi Slim
The previous Mayhorn's Grocery Store, where Elvis used to sit on the porch and listen to blues and gospel music in the neighborhood where he lived
Lee County Library, where Elvis received his first library card
Milam Jr. High, last school Elvis attended before moving to Memphis.