The South is full of charming and sometimes quirky landmarks. One unique southern landmark that you’ve heard of is Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. But did you know there is a Graceland Too?
Graceland Too is located not far from the true Graceland, just 46 miles away from the Memphis original. Graceland Too, located in Holly Springs, was collected and honed by the super fan Paul McLeod who named his son after Elvis. This house was once packed with a huge collection of Elvis memorabilia including records, cds, carpet from the real Graceland, binders of research, and much more.
The house wasn’t just enjoyed by the owner Paul. For a small donation, Paul opened his home to tourists 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for over a decade and a half. Those that had been three times, received a lifetime membership card to the home.
In 2014, Macleod was forced to shoot an intruder to his home that was begging for money and just 2 days later Macleod himself was found on his porch. Those who knew Macleod believed it to be the combination of his failing health and the stress of the incident.
In January 2015, the house and contents were sold through an auction to an anonymous buyer in Georgia for just under $55,000. While many were disappointed to miss out on the collection, the auction was reversed due to a problem with the online bidding company. Another auction was then held in May 2015 where the vast majority of Macleod’s memorabilia was sold off to individual buyers, but the house and remaining contents were sold to Marie and Jeffrey Underwood for $5,500.
The Underwoods, who were good friends of Paul Macleod, visited him often and also adore Elvis themselves. Their goal is to renovate the home to a museum with living quarters with the possibility of making it an AirBnB and halfway house for Elvis addicts. They continue to display the remainder of Paul’s items and will add their own Elvis collection after the home is repaired.
While significant cleaning and work has been done on the outside of the house, the inside still needs work. The Underwoods and Friends of Graceland Too are raising funds to restore running water and replace the roof.
While you can certainly check out the outside as you drive by currently, they do plan to open the house in the future, and if Marie is there working on the house, she does allow visitors. For more information on the home and to keep up with the renovations and fundraisers you can visit their Friends of Graceland Too Facebook page.
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