The trees with soul - Highlighting Historic Trees

American Forests, Autumn, 2002 by Jeff Meyer

We all know the story of the poor boy from Tupelo, Mississippi, who moved with his parents to Memphis, Tennessee. The teenager loved music, especially that which sprang from the working classes--Gospel traditions as well as the black rhythm and blues that was finding its zenith on Beale Street.

By the time he was 18, he was driving a truck for an electrical company and studying to become a full-fledged electrician. That's when he stopped in at Sun Records to record a song for his mother's birthday. Sam Phillips, who ran the studio, wasn't impressed.

A few months later, when Elvis stopped in again to record "That's All Right, Mama," Sara did take notice. He signed Elvis to a contract, and Elvis produced several hits for Sun before being signed to Capital Records.

The young singer was able to buy his parents a comfortable ranch house in Memphis--the first nice house the little family had ever owned. But as their son's fame grew, their quiet neighborhood was no longer quiet. Fans blocked the streets, filled the driveway, looked in the windows. The Presleys couldn't come home, let alone live a normal life.

Elvis, who was now often filming and recording in California, told his parents to find another home. One house they particularly liked was a lovely, well-known "society house" built 17 years earlier by a doctor and his wife. The minute Elvis saw it, he fell in love. The house, of course, was Graceland.

Elvis bought the house, the outbuildings, and the 14 surrounding acres for a little more than $100,000.

Whenever I visit Graceland, the thing that always amazes me is that the house is, by current celebrity standards, very modest. Elvis certainly could have afforded a much larger, much showier home as his fortunes increased. But Graceland was his refuge. He especially loved the acreage, the feeling of space, and the beauty of the landscaping.

Magnolias, elms, and beeches shade the estate. But perhaps the best known trees are the oaks that line the curving drive behind Graceland's iron gates.

The early years at Graceland were happy--and noisy. When his mother Gladys was around, there were chickens, peafowl, horses, dogs, even monkeys. Elvis himself preferred motorcycles and cars. Between animals, friends, and. family, Graceland's grounds were always bustling. Elvis never wanted anything grander; Graceland was home.

Elvis died there on August 16, 1977. And it was inside the house, several days later. that a private funeral was held Afterward, as the coffin was being carried out the door, a limb from one of the big oak trees Out in front snapped and fell, barely missing the funeral party. Elvis' friend Lamar didn't miss a beat. "We knew you'd be back," he wisecracked. "Just not this soon."

Of course, the thing that helps add this incident to the Elvis folklore is that limbs of pin oaks don' t snap off. As the lower limbs die. they droop gracefully and finally wrap themselves around the lower trunk fortifying it. So the oak branch that dropped on Elvis's funeral was decidedly uncharacteristic of the species, and certainly a bit of natural punctuation to the event.

While Elvis is gone. the trees that made the estate so lovely continue to thrive, welcoming the many fans who come to pay homage to the country boy who made good.

Jeff Meyer, host of the public television series, "TreeStories," directs AMERICAN FORESTS' Historic Tree Nursery. For information about purchasing an Elvis Presley Pin Oak or other historic trees, visit www.historictrees.org or coil 800/677-0727.