When Elvis Presley bought Graceland in 1957, the 22-year-old superstar immediately began transforming the Memphis estate into a home for himself and his family. Renovations were happening across the property, including a new swimming pool. But before anyone could swim in it, the empty pool was reportedly given a completely different job.
Elvis had been given several donkeys, but there was a problem. The fencing needed to contain the animals had not yet been completed. According to Graceland’s own history, the solution was wonderfully simple: the donkeys were temporarily placed inside the newly built but still empty swimming pool where they could not wander away.
Elvis Presley’s Animals at Graceland
Elvis’s cousin Billy Smith later remembered the same story. Billy grew up around Elvis and his family, eventually becoming part of the group commonly known as the Memphis Mafia. His father, Travis Smith, worked as Graceland’s chief guard. Billy recalled that while the proper animal areas were still being prepared, the donkeys simply stayed down inside the pool for a while.
It sounds bizarre today, but early Graceland was becoming almost as much a small farm as a celebrity mansion. Elvis had purchased 13.8 acres, giving the Presley family room for chickens, hogs, a turkey named Bowtie and eventually many other animals. Over the years Elvis would also keep horses, dogs, birds and even a chimpanzee named Scatter on the property.
The swimming pool itself was constructed in 1957 and eventually became one of Graceland’s familiar outdoor features. Those first months were different. Elvis had only recently purchased the estate and renovations were still underway as his family settled into a home that would eventually become one of the most famous residences in music history.
Elvis Presley would go on to change popular music with “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” Jailhouse Rock and performances that turned him into the King of Rock and Roll. Yet before Graceland became a pilgrimage site for millions of fans, it was simply Elvis’s new home where even an unfinished swimming pool could become a temporary donkey pen. Watch the video to discover just how many unusual animals once shared Graceland with Elvis.