Come this August, visitors to the Elvis Presley
Birthplace will have something new to see.
On Wednesday, Dick Guyton, executive director of
the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation, announced
that the church Presley attended as a child will
become part of the attraction. The foundation
owns the birthplace. Immediately after the
announcement, the First Assembly of God Church
was moved from nearby 1358 Berry St. to a
temporary home behind the memorial chapel.
Guyton said the foundation will restore the
building to what it looked like in the �40s and
open it to the public in August. It will be
placed about 100 feet south of the chapel.
�Elvis was probably more influenced by his
church and black church music than anything
else,� Guyton said, noting that this is part of
a long-term plan to add more attractions to the
birthplace. �The chapel was his desire for a
memorial. This will give a total concept to the
visitor of Elvis� music - where it started and
how it ended.� Six years ago, the foundation
added the statue of Elvis at 13 to the grounds
of the birthplace. Last week, a Blues Trail
marker was unveiled. The foundation plans to
build a walkway around the two-sided sign soon.
The church project is being funded by ticket
sales and gift shop purchases and by a $40,000
donation from the E. Rhodes and Leona B.
Carpenter Foundation. Al Servati, division
manager for the Carpenter Co., which has a
manufacturing plant in Tupelo, said the
Carpenter Foundation decided to get involved
because this is �something that will attract
people to Tupelo and attract new businesses.�
�It will benefit the entire community and
hopefully Carpenter as well,� he said.
For the past 42 years, the church has been
Lawrence Stanford�s home. He said he would have
people come by his house every year and take
pictures of the building. He�s remodelled it
over the years, but the additions were stripped
down to reveal the original siding and flooring
from Presley�s day. �I hate to see it go. I got
used to living in it,� he said, watching the
moving company pulling it up the hill to its new
home. He sold the building recently and moved
two houses down the street. And as his former
house rolled onto the birthplace property, he
said it was nearing its home.
�I feel good about it going up there,� Stanford
said. �I really do.� It�s a sentiment the
Presley's most likely would share, said Guy
Harris, a childhood friend of Elvis.
�I think he would be well-pleased with this
deal,� said Harris, who attended the
neighbourhood church often. �This is part of him
and something he did. Same with Gladys and
Vernon because they went here too.�
Posted: 1st. January 2008
