Tupelo (Mississippi)

Lee County

28-74840

Tupelo [ tu ː pəloʊ ] is a city and the county seat ( county seat ) in Lee County in the U.S. state of Mississippi with about 35,000 inhabitants. World famous, the city being the birthplace of Elvis Presley. It is also the birthplace of Wesley Pentz, a musician and DJ of electronic hip- hop. John Lee Hooker 1993 wrote a song about the flood in Tupelo in 1936. Published in 1985 Nick Cave, the single ' Tupelo ' as a tribute to his idol Elvis Presley.

History

The urban area was formerly inhabited by Indians of the tribes Chickasaw and Choctaw. By 1830, all had been driven from their homes. On May 26, 1736 Battle of Ackia took place in the area that was fought between the British with their allies the Chickasaw against the French and their allies Choctaw. The city was founded in 1870 and is named after the native ogeche - tupelo ( Nyssa aquatica ), a species of the family Nyssaceae. In July 1864, the Battle of Tupelo was held, in which the Union troops defeated by General Andrew J. Smith, the Confederates under the command of Nathan Bedford Forrest. After the war brought a railway line prosperity and growth to Tupelo in 1936 sought a tornado home town.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Allie Grant, actress
• Wesley Pentz, music producer and DJ
• Elvis Presley, singer
• Jumpin ' Gene Simmons, country, rockabilly and rock and roll musician
• Jimmy Wages, rockabilly musicians