Graceland Too
Not quite shrine, and not quite museum, Graceland Too in Holly Springs, Mississippi is more
of a library, an Elvis archives. Elvis Aaron Presley MacLeod
and dad Paul do consider themselves archivists -- privy to
nearly every piece of information about the King one could
hope to find.
They are, they say, Elvis' Number 1 fans.
The elder MacLeod started the collection
in 1956. Since then, it has grown to some 55,000 newspaper clippings, and thousands upon thousands of other carefully catalogued pieces of information.
"It's all compiled in the computer," MacLeod says. And it's
accessible at his fingertips -- from how much a certain
record is really worth, to just what was said about Presley
in a particular issue of TV Guide.
The MacLeods help authenticate some pieces of Elvis
memorabilia -- and they recently lent their services to the
official Graceland, helping it select television show clips
featuring Presley or someone talking about the King for the
new Memphis restaurant and nightclub called Elvis Presley's Memphis.
Oh, and the MacLeods say they have one thing that no one else has, although you're not likely to see it just yet. According to the senior MacLeod, he and his then 4-year-old son were outside the gates of
Graceland the night the King died. And Paul MacLeod, with a
new 8 mm movie camera, captured what he believes to be
the last film of Elvis before he died.
"There's about 90 seconds of footage," Elvis Aaron Presley
MacLeod says. "He comes down the drive on his motorcycle with
... his girlfriend."
The tape is securely locked away until it's copyrighted and
safely copied, says MacLeod, who loves his job.
"I and my father enjoy what we do," he says. "We're part of a
minority who can say that."
Related site:
Note: Related site will open in a new browser window.
Tupelo to Vegas | Elvis in Wax | Shakin' Shrines
Would-be Kings | Wines and Inns | Love Me Links
Meet Me in Memphis | Graceland Tour de Force
Jumpsuits Across America
Destination: Elvis