10 Facts About Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion in Memphis

Elvis didn't name Graceland

Hoping to find a country retreat away from obsessive fans and the pressures of fame, 22-year-old Elvis Presley purchased the Graceland mansion on March 19, 1959 for $102,500 (the equivalent of more than $900,000 today). The estate already had a famous nickname: When Dr. Thomas Moore and his wife Ruth built their Colonial Revival mansion in 1939, they named it after Ruth's aunt, Grace Toof. Her father had owned the land, which had previously been used as farmland.

There was a real shopping list.

Though Presley was known for his love of peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches, his Southern palate sometimes craved other delicacies, and Graceland had an extensive list of items the King needed to have on hand “all the time, every day.” His shopping list (about $500 a week) included:

—One case of regular Pepsi

—1 case of orange drink

—6 or more biscuit tins

—Canned sauerkraut

— “Wiener”

—Banana pudding (made fresh every night)

—Ingredients for meatloaf and sauce

-Brownie

—Ice cream (vanilla and chocolate)

—Shredded coconut

—Fudge Cookies

—Gum (Spearmint, Doublemint, Juicy Fruit, 3 of each)

There was a buzzer installed under the kitchen table in case we needed anything.

Elvis lived with chimpanzees

The Graceland grounds include a large barn that once housed horses, but the most unusual pet to roam the estate was Presley's chimpanzee, Scatter. Most people say the King's pet was a nuisance; the monkey made his presence known with a deafening “wooooosh!” and delighted in pulling down women's skirts.

Somehow, Scatter's antics endeared him to Presley, who began dressing him in elaborate costumes. A favorite joke was driving around Memphis with Scatter as the passenger seat. At traffic lights, Presley would crouch down to make it look like an animal was driving the car. Eventually, Scatter's antics became too much for Presley to bear, and he moved into the air-conditioned rooms of Graceland.

Elvis watched three TVs at once.

After reading that President Lyndon B. Johnson had three television sets that allowed him to watch the three major network news channels simultaneously, Presley installed the idea in his downstairs media room, where he spent much of his time happily watching TV, unless Robert Goulet was on. Presley loathed the musically inclined actor for reasons only known to him.

Before the invention of the remote control, Presley discovered the quickest way to get Goulet off the TV was to shoot it with a pistol. “That bastard has no heart!” he yelled. “I've had enough of that bastard!”

The boss has invaded!

Graceland hosted many guests during Presley's tenure, but one visitor arrived unannounced in 1976. A young Bruce Springsteen, on the verge of global superstardom, arrived by taxi to the mansion's gates late one April night, accompanied by E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt.

Despite the late hour, the pair noticed the lights on at the main house and attempted to hop the fence to greet the King. Unfortunately, they were stopped by security before they could reach the door. Luckily for them, Presley was in Lake Tahoe at the time.

Elvis turned the Jungle Room into a recording studio

In the mid-'60s, Presley added an enclosed study next to the kitchen and later filled it with tiki-style furniture and plants. Many fans dubbed it the “Jungle Room” because of its tropical feel, complete with a stone waterfall, though Presley himself never used that name.

In February 1976, RCA sent a mobile recording unit to Graceland and converted a large room into a temporary recording studio (the shag carpeting acted as a natural sound absorber). The song is believed to have been released at Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee. Another session took place in October of that year; it was his final session before his death less than a year later. Four tracks from this day were released on the posthumous album ” Moody Blue.

Graceland wasn't Elvis' original resting place

Of Presley's many improvements to Graceland over the years, perhaps the most significant was the so-called “Meditation Garden,” a tranquil corner of plants and a fountain surrounded by white columns and a pergola that he installed in 1964. During life, Presley loved to sit and reflect there, and after his death it became his final resting place, although that was not originally planned.

On August 18, 1977, two days after his death, Presley was buried next to his late mother, Gladys, in Memphis' Forest Hill Cemetery. However, someone tried to steal his 900-pound, steel-clad, copper-plated casket and hold his body hostage. Three men were arrested, but the plan was so flimsy they were only charged with cemetery trespass. Fearing copycat killers, Presley's body and that of Gladys were moved to Graceland. Today, they rest beside him at memorials to his father, Vernon, and his stillborn twin brother, Jesse, as well as his grandson, Benjamin, and daughter, Lisa Marie.

The second floor remains off-limits

Presley's master bedroom on the second floor of Graceland was his most private retreat, accessible only to his closest friends, and it was in the bathroom there that Presley's body was discovered on August 16, 1977. After the mansion opened to the public in 1982, the second floor was sealed off out of respect for the family and to avoid drawing eerie attention to the scene of his death.

For years, the second floor of Graceland has had an air of mysticism, with rumors circulating that his suite remains exactly as it was when the King left it. No authenticated, high-quality photographs have ever been released, and no one has been allowed inside except his ex-wife Priscilla, his late daughter Lisa Marie, and Graceland's curators. Presidents and foreign dignitaries have all been denied entry. Ironically, however, one famous person has been inside: actor and known Presley superfan Nicolas Cage, who was married to Lisa Marie in the early 2000s.

Graceland is the second most visited mansion in America

Graceland continues to attract many guests, with the mansion attracting an average of more than 650,000 visitors per year, making it the second most visited home in the United States after the White House.

John Stamos guides a tour of Graceland

Visitors to Graceland will surely recognize the voice speaking about this historic place: actor and Presley fan John Stamos! The star said: Full house, And he brings his signature swagger to the narration.