Elvis Presley Graceland

How did Graceland get its name? The Graceland property was originally established as a 500 acre farm during the American Civil War (1861-1865) by publisher Stephen C. Toof (Owner of the Memphis Daily Appeal). Mr Toof named the property after his daughter.

Who got the idea for Elvis to buy Graceland?
His parents, Vernon and Gladys saw it first and placed a $1,000 down payment on March 16, 1957.

Did you know?
On January 8, 1935, Elvis Aron (later spelled Aaron) Presley was born at his parents’ two-room house in East Tupelo, Mississippi, about 35 minutes after his identical twin brother, Jesse Garon, who was stillborn.

He was distantly related to former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln & Jimmy Carter.

His father, Vernon, worked a series of odd jobs, and in 1938 was sentenced to three years in prison for forging a $4 check.

In 1964, Elvis paid $55,000 for the Potomac, the 165-foot-long vessel that served as FDR’s “floating White House” from 1936 to 1945.

Elvis wore a cross, the Hebrew letter chai, and a star of David around his neck. “I don’t want to miss out on heaven due to a technicality,” he said.

He also joined his high school boxing team.

“Scatter” was Elvis’s pet chimp. He also had a pet turkey called “Bow Tie.”

Elvis’s nicknames, other than the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” included “The Memphis Flash,” The King of Western Bop,” “Big E,” “The Chief” and “The Hillbilly Cat.”