Ever since Elvis Presley’s Graceland’s door was opened to the public in 1982, the mansion remains filled with crowd. Over 40 years have passed since Elvis first took his first steps into the mansion.
We should praise the hard workers for keeping the mansion the same as it was in the 1980s. People from all over the world travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to visit the most famous estate of rock ‘n’ roll.
If you’re also interested in Graceland, there are some facts that you must know. Let’s take a peek at them!
Graceland was not named by Elvis
Although we always think about the legend, Elbis Persley when we name Graceland, they are unrelated. Toof family owned Graceland before it was named in the history of Rock & Roll.
Toof family was known for having a printing company. Ruth Brown Moore, the previous owner named it “Graceland” after the death of her aunt Grace Toof. Grace herself owned the mansion after the death of S.C. Tooth.
Ruth then took ownership in 1939 with her husband Thomas Moore and named it Graceland. The couple then commissioned Max Furbringer and Merrill Ehrman to design the house. They were also known for their work in Memphis’ 1920 Criminal Courts and the Claridge Hotel.
Presley paid $102,500 for Graceland
Elvis Presley peaked on his career in 1956. He was already a musician, TV star, and actor. He had achieved what one could only dream of at the age of 22. Presley then bought the Graceland in 1957 for $102,500 which is about $924,000 in today’s money.
Ruth and Thomas Moore divorced in 1952 and Ruth decided to sell the house to a 22-year-old Elvis Presley in March. Elvis’s fame had skyrocketed back in the day, he required some privacy and Graceland met his requirements.
Elvis moved to Graceland with his parents and made a few changes. He installed musically themed gates in the entrance and a special stained glass window above Graceland’s door. He even established a pool in 1968 and his famous Jungle Room where its ceilings and floor were all covered with green carpeting. He even installed an artificial waterfall in the room.
Graceland was Elvis’ personal zoo
Elvis Presley was an animal lover. He didn’t only want Graceland to be home for him and his parents, but also for the animals. Presley wanted to make a personal zoo, and the first animal he brought in was a monkey named, Jayhew.
Elvis then brought a chimpanzee named Scatter and he was a great troublemaker. Scatter dressed in human clothes, even drink whiskeys and flirt with other women. Elvis even pwned donkeys in his swimming pool and a turkey named, Bowtie.
Presley even owned hogs, many horses, and various breeds of dogs. He even owned a bird mynah that would speak, “Elvis isn’t here”, or “Elvis is asleep.” He even owned peacocks that he gave to the Memphis Zoo alongside two wallabies.
Bruce Springsteen snuck onto the Graceland
Bruce Springsteen once made his way to meet with The King but he never got his moment. Springsteen was on his “Born to Run” tour on April 30, 1976. The 26 year-old-boy got a wild idea to visit Elvis with the guitarist of E-Street Band, Steve Van Zandt
Springsteen and Steve Van rushed to Graceland after their taxi driver told them where Elvis lived. They had a chance to make a historic moment, to meet Elvis and maybe do some guitar sessions together.
Springsteen made up his mind when he reached Graceland. Without having any second thoughts, he hoped the wall and before he could get near the front door, the security arrived and stopped him. Springsteen then begged them to let him inside the castle to meet with The King just to find out that Elvis was out of town.
During The Graham Norton Show Springsteen recalled the moment. He said, “I said, ‘OK, well, can you tell him—and I generally don’t like to do this, but—that Bruce Springsteen was here? And he may not know who that is, but I was just on the cover of TIME and Newsweek,’” he added, “That’s as close as I ever got to Elvis Presley.”
Elvis kept Graceland’s kitchen stocked with very specific items.
Alongside being an animal lover, Elvis was also a food lover. It’s stated that Graceland’s weekly grocery bill was around $500. His kitchen was stocked with every specific item. It was filled with various fresh fruit, brownies, banana pudding, ice cream, fudge cookies, a case of Pepsi, brownies, steak, hamburger buns, cans of sauerkraut, and wieners. There were also at least six cans of biscuits.
Elvis Presley used to make a “mess” while eating. “He’d say, ‘Bring me a beach towel,’ because he’d make such a mess,” said his stepbrother Billy Standley. Presley’s favorite snack to chew in the mansion was “The Fool’s Gold,” a loaf of Italian white bread with butter, bacon, jelly, and oven-baked in the end.
Elvis had even installed a button beneath his dining table, so he could order meals in silence.
Elvis used the Jungle Room as a recording studio
Elvis’s artificial waterfall and hand-carved furniture lived up to its name. It was called “The Den” by Elvis and it was only named “Jungle Room” after Graceland was opened to the public.
Despite being an iconic room, it was also a studio recording room for Presley. The Jungle Room is special because Elvis recorded his final songs in this studio. The King recorded thi16 tracks in the Jungle Room which was released on 1976’s “Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee,” and 1977’s “Moody Blue.
The recording studio was used by multiple other artists including, Lisa Marie Presley, Kid Rock, and John Cougar Mellencamp.
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Elvis’ aunt continued to live at Graceland following his death
After Elvis’ death, Delta remained at Graceland. Elvis had invited her to live with there and she even had a responsibility to fulfill, to take care of his daughter, Lisa Marie. Aunt Delta had to feel and bathe Lisa Marie every night.
According to Lisa Marie’s cousin, Danny Smith, the aunt was very caring, “Aunt Delta had her way. She was a good person. She took good care of Lisa and took good care of us. You’ve got to realize we gave that woman hell! We pulled stuff on her, we hid from her. We actually tried a lot of times just to drive her crazy. Looking back, that had to be one tough job. Bless her heart, she did her best to be as sweet to us as she could.”
Elvis died in 1977 when he was just 42 years old. After his death, she still resided in Graceland and even remained there after the death of Evis’ father in 1979 and his grandmother in 1980. Delta still continued to live there after Graceland was made public in 1982.
She resided in Graceland till her last breath. Unfortunately, she passed away in 1993 and her bedroom was made public for people to tour the following year.
Elvis Presley owns two Private Jets
Elvis Presley also was a huge fan of flying. He also owned two plans, the Hound Dog I and the Hound Dog II. These planes are also open to tour in Graceland.
His first plane was named Lisa Marie (named after his daughter) in 1975. Presley used this plane to go to his concerts across the US. He even had a nickname for the jet, “Flying Graceland.”
Elvis then made a second purchase in 1975, named “The Hound Dog II.” Presley only did a little work on his second plane. Now it resides in Graceland as a memory of The King. His first plane Lisa Marie was put on display in Graceland for the public to access in 1984.
Elvis is buried on the mansion’s grounds
When fans go to visit Graceland, they get very emotional after witnessing Elvis’ grave in the meditation garden. Elvis was originally placed in a copper coffin next to his mother at Forest Hill Cemetry, but it didn’t end well.
There was a bid set up to give a final farewell to The King and more than 80,000 people showed up for it. Thieves made their attempt to steal their remains from the mausoleum but failed. Elvis’ father Vernon then decided to transfer his wife’s and son’s remains to Graceland.
Visitors aren’t allowed upstairs at Graceland
Elvis died at the age of 42 on August 16, 1977, because of heart failure. He was found dead in his upstairs bedroom’s bathroom. Only the staff members and the family members are allowed to visit that part of the place, its restricted to the public.
It was reported that the bedroom hadn’t changed yet since the day Elvis owned it. Graceland’s vice president, Angie Marchese also gave some additional information while giving an online tour.
“It looks as if he just got up and left,” she continued, “The record on the record player is the last record he listened to. There’s a Styrofoam cup that sits on a bookshelf. The bed is made. So, yeah, we really maintain it the way Lisa [Marie Presley] wants us to preserve it.”
Graceland inspired a Grammy-winning album
Paul Simon, the legendary writer of “The Sound of Silence” was inspired by Graceland. He was inspired to name his 1986 album “Graceland” which became a massive hit later on. Simon recalled the moment to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
“I didn’t tell anybody I was coming. I didn’t get any special treatment. I just waited on the line, and went there, walked around, was singularly unimpressed–’til you finish the tour, and you come outside, and then there’s his grave and it said, ‘Elvis Presley whose music touched millions of people all around the world.’ And I read it, and I just started to cry. … Being in the crowds that come to Graceland, it’s almost like a religious thing about Elvis. So the song started to write itself…”
Graceland Is the Second-Most-Visited Home in America
Graceland is more the place where The King once lived. It’s a national treasure to the public that contains landmarks, and pieces of history that give us an image of how Elvis Presley used to live. After making it open to the public in 1982, it has managed to attract a lot of viewers.
Over 20 million visitors have gone to Graceland, making it the second-most-visited home in America, with the first being the White House. Over 600,000 people visit Graceland every year. The visitors aren’t from any specific age or background, they are very diverse which shows the impact that Elvis had made on the world.