Elvis Slept Here...

 

On this date in 1977 Elvis Presley left this world that he had impacted so much. All around the world fans will be celebrating his life today. As a tribute to the King of Rock and Roll, I would like to share this blog about Elvis Presley in Killeen, Texas.

For nearly six months in 1958, Elvis Presley was stationed at Fort Hood while completing basic and advanced military training. He left an entertainment career, where he was at the top of his game, to serve his country as a tanker. What a great American.

While Elvis was at Fort Hood, he lived with his parents on Oak Hill Drive in Killeen, a small town right outside the base. I grew up in Killeen and the fact that Elvis once lived here was a part of our small town lore. An older lady who lived on Oak Hill when Elvis lived there loved to share a story of how he used to have to get out of the car a couple blocks up the street, sneak down to the creek that runs behind the houses (including her house) and work his way down to the back of his parent's house to avoid all the girls on the street out front.

The house at 805 Oakhill in Killeen was listed for sale in 2003 and I had the pleasure of showing it. At that time it was in very good, mostly original condition. The kitchen and bathrooms were 1950's classics with all the modern ammenities of that time. The house sold agian in 2006 and that buyer "updated" the entire house (kitchen, bathrooms, etc.) to modernize it, and in essence destroyed what it is that made it a piece of Elvis history. In 2009 the house was listed and sold again, this time as a foreclosure.

While Elvis' time here may have been short, the effect on what was then a very small military and farming community was long reaching. Today, Killeen is still a military community, though no longer tiny, supporting one of the largest military bases in the free world. As such, the majority of our clients and customers are new arrivals to the area. One of the things I enjoy most is driving my new buyers by the "house where Elvis lived" and watching their shock that someone as large as Elvis once lived in a town as small as Killeen.

Richard W. Overall, Jr REALTOR
http://www.overallrealtor.com/