Tupelo was platted in 1860 beside the new Mobile and Ohio Railroad and incorporated in 1870. Its 22 National Register listings, museums and historic sites.

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. History comes from the National Park Service’s Historic Resources in Tupelo, Mississippi multiple property documentation. Listings and dates are from the National Park Service’s National Register data download (May 22, 2026, file). Hours are from each site, the National Park Service and Visit Tupelo.

Tupelo grew up around a railroad. The Mobile and Ohio line was laid through northeast Mississippi in 1859, the town was platted in 1860, it became the seat of the newly created Lee County in 1867 and was incorporated in 1870, according to the National Register’s historic context for the city.

Plan a visit

  • Elvis Presley Birthplace: 306 Elvis Presley Drive, 662-841-1245
  • Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center: Milepost 266, 662-680-4027
  • Oren Dunn City Museum: 689 Rutherford Road, 662-432-5194
  • Visit Tupelo: 399 E. Main St., 662-841-6521

How Tupelo began

  • 1847: William R. Harris and George C. Thomason founded Harrisburg on the Pontotoc-Fulton Road near the Natchez Trace. The site is now inside Tupelo’s city limits.
  • 1859: the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was laid through the area.
  • 1860: a town was platted by land speculators Christopher Orr, William R. Harris and George Thomason. It was first called Gum Pond, for a small pond ringed by gum trees, and later renamed Tupelo, the proper name for those trees. Most Harrisburg residents moved to the new railroad town.
  • 1864: the battles of Brice’s Cross Roads and Harrisburg (Tupelo) destroyed nearly all buildings in those areas. Only six houses in Tupelo were left standing at the end of the Civil War.
  • 1866-1867: Lee County was carved out of Itawamba and Pontotoc counties, and Tupelo was named the county seat.
  • 1870: Tupelo was incorporated.
  • 1886: the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad came through, setting off a building boom.
  • 1936: a tornado devastated the city, including one of its most exclusive residential neighborhoods; most homes and schools were rebuilt within two years.

The city’s visitors bureau adds that Tupelo was the first city to receive power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, in 1934, and that Elvis Presley was born here on Jan. 8, 1935, according to its fact sheet.

National Register of Historic Places

These are the listings with a Tupelo address in the National Park Service’s data, with the year each was listed.

Property Address or location Listed
Tupelo National Battlefield Main Street (Mississippi 6), about a mile west of U.S. 45 1966
Peoples Bank and Trust Company 211 W. Main St. 1978
Mutt-Thomason Site (archaeological) Address restricted 1978
North Broadway Historic District 300 block of North Broadway Street 1985
First Methodist Church 412 W. Main St. 1990
Lee County Courthouse Court Street between Spring and Broadway 1992
Mill Village Historic District Between the railroad tracks, Chestnut and Green streets 1992
North Church Primary School Church and Jackson streets 1992
R. F. Goodlett House 219 N. Broadway St. 1992
South Church Street Historic District 602-713 S. Church St. 1992
F. L. Spight House 363 N. Broadway St. 1992
Old Superintendent’s House, Tupelo Fish Hatchery 111 Elizabeth St. 1992
Stewart-Anderson House 433 N. Church St. 1994
Tupelo Homesteads County roads south of the Natchez Trace Parkway 1997
Tombigbee State Park Southeast of Tupelo 1999
Highland Circle Historic District Highland Circle, North Madison Street, Oak Grove Road, West Jackson Street 2006
Carnation Milk Plant 520 Carnation St. 2009
R. C. Clark House 215 N. Church St. 2010
Spain House 510 S. Church St. 2011
Downtown Tupelo Historic District Roughly Jefferson, Madison and North Front streets and the railroad; enlarged in 2025 2014
Tupelo Downtown Neighborhood Historic District Roughly East Jackson, North Spring, Main, West Jefferson and North Gloster streets 2021
Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church 589 N. Green St. 2023

Most of these are private homes, churches and businesses: look from the street and respect the owners’ privacy. Peoples Bank and Trust Company now houses the Gumtree Museum of Art.

Museums and sites open to visitors

  • Elvis Presley Birthplace, 306 Elvis Presley Drive: the two-room house where Elvis Presley was born, his childhood church, a museum and a memorial chapel. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday; the grounds are open 24 hours, the birthplace says. 662-841-1245.
  • Tupelo National Battlefield, 2083 Main St.: a one-acre site marking the July 1864 battle, open sunrise to sunset daily, run by the National Park Service. 1-800-305-7417.
  • Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center, Milepost 266, 2680 Natchez Trace Parkway: exhibits and a film on the parkway’s history, open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. 662-680-4027.
  • Chickasaw Village Site, Milepost 261.8 on the Natchez Trace Parkway, part of Tupelo’s Chickasaw Heritage Trail.
  • Oren Dunn City Museum, 689 Rutherford Road at Ballard Park: city history in a converted dairy barn from Forest Lake Farms, with a dogtrot cabin, one-room church and school, and exhibits on the railroad, the tornado and Chickasaw history. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. 662-432-5194.
  • Tupelo Veterans Museum, 689 Rutherford Road: a private military collection, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. 662-844-1515.
  • Gumtree Museum of Art, 211 W. Main St., in the Peoples Bank building. 662-844-2787.
  • Tupelo Hardware Company, 114 W. Main St., where Elvis Presley’s mother bought him his first guitar; visitors are welcome during store hours. 662-842-4637.

Hours above are from Visit Tupelo listings unless noted; call before you go.

Heritage trails

Visit Tupelo maps free, self-guided trails, including the Civil Rights and African American Heritage Trail, with stops such as the former F.W. Woolworth at 131 W. Main St., Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church and Carver Elementary School on North Green Street, plus Civil War, Chickasaw and Elvis trails.

What this means for you

  • Start downtown: the courthouse, Peoples Bank and the hardware store are within a few blocks.
  • Pair the Birthplace with the Parkway Visitor Center for a half-day of history.
  • See our parks and trails guide for Ballard Park and the Trace.

Related: things to do this month and getting around Tupelo.

Frequently asked questions

When was Tupelo founded?

Tupelo was platted in 1860, a year after the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was laid through northeast Mississippi, and incorporated in 1870, according to the National Register’s historic context for the city. It became the seat of the new Lee County in 1867.

What was Tupelo originally called?

Gum Pond, for a small pond surrounded by gum trees. The name was later changed to Tupelo, the proper name for those trees, the National Register document says.

How many National Register sites are in Tupelo?

22 properties and districts with a Tupelo address are on the National Register of Historic Places, from the Tupelo National Battlefield, listed in 1966, to Spring Hill Missionary Baptist Church, listed in 2023.

What are the hours of the Elvis Presley Birthplace?

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, at 306 Elvis Presley Drive. The grounds are open 24 hours. Phone: 662-841-1245.

Where is the Tupelo city museum?

The Oren Dunn City Museum is in a converted dairy barn at Ballard Park, 689 Rutherford Road. It is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; phone 662-432-5194.