GRACELND-HISTORY-PG

Although the name "Graceland" eventually came to refer specifically to the home, originally it applied to the entire 500-acre
spread, which was established as a Hereford catte farm in 1861, by S.E. Toof, the publisher of the Memphis Commercial
Appeal. It was named "Graceland" after his daughter, Grace Toof. Ruth Moore, who eventually built Graceland the house,
was Grace's niece. Over the years, various pieces of the farm were developed into a Graceland subdivision and the
Whitehaven Plaza Shopping Center.
Mrs. Moore once said proudly to a reporter for the Commercial Appeal in 1940 "Our entire home is centered around music, we
planned it for our daughter, Ruth Marie, who has played the harp and piano since she was four. The rooms have been
designed with an eye to future musical evenings, and space was essential, not only for seating purposes but for tone volume."
Ruth was 14 when the family moved in to the house and she confidently posed for a picture with her gold-inlaid concert grand
harp in the drawing room, which would one day be Elvis Presley's living room. Ruth eventually joined the prestigious Memphis
Symphony Orchestra.
A Commercial Appeal headline for Sunday , Oct. 27, 1940, stated the "Colonial Courtliness of Georgian Style Exemplified in
Stately 'Graceland." The subheading read "Air of Subtle Elegance Pervades Moore Manor."
A Commercial Appeal reporter by the name of Ida Clemens, states enthusiastically that "Much like a poem which echoes the
loveliness of trees and sky-and architectural perfection-is enchanting 'Graceland,' country home of Dr. and Mrs. T.D. Moore.
Located well back from Highway 51 in a grove of towering oaks, it stands proudly on land that has been in the family nearly a
century. As you rool up the drive, you sense the fine heritage of the past in its general feeling of aristocratic kindness and
tranquility."
She went on to give a detailed account of the Moore residence: "Polished with the quiet manners characteristic of today's
beauty, the palatial home is a noteworthy example of the Georgian Colonial style. White Tishomingo stone was shipped in for
it's construction, and it is shuttered in contrasting green Symbolic of the Georgian is its front entrance of majestic Corinthian
columns. Coach lamps in gold bronze flank the hospitable door and a larger lamp lights the porch. "An air of subtle luxury that
pervades the exterior seeps through the walls and penetrates every room in the house. Extending across the entire front are
the reception hall, drawing room and solarium. When I tell you that the four rooms can seat an audience of 500, you have an
idea of their spacious proportions." "Adding to the graciousness of the dinning room are cornices for display of more fine
china and glassware, and a picture window framing the trees on the grounds beyond. Draperies of French blue damask draw
cozily together at night but leave the enchanting view unobstructed by day. Taking a reluctant leave of the dining room, I
entered the drawing room and immediately winced at the futility of trying to capture such loveliness in the written word Center
of interest is the fireplace carved in Colonial motif and faced in white marble A wall of glass blocks separates the drawing room
from the solarium (which would later become Elvis music room). Also included in the first floor plan are a guest room,
breakfast room, kitchen, and service rooms. The basement houses a den, library and two game rooms. Four bedrooms and
four baths on the second floor complete this family manor, one of the most outstanding homes in Memphis."
The glass blocks referred to were first of all covered with drapes by Elvis, then much later were taken out completely and
stored in the barn when the stained glass peacocks were installed in the room division in 1974.