This is a list of symbols of the United States Commonwealth of Virginia. The majority of the items in the list are officially recognized symbols created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by the governor. The state nickname, The Old Dominion, is the oldest symbol. However, it is the only symbol that is not official. The other nickname, "Mother of Presidents", is also historic, as eight Virginians have served as President of the United States, including four of the first five: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. Additionally, Sam Houston, president of the Republic of Texas, Fulwar Skipwith, the president of the Republic of West Florida, and Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first president of Liberia were from Virginia.
The state motto and seal have been official since Virginia declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Virginia is the only state to have the same plant for state flower and state tree, the Flowering Dogwood.[1] The majority of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.
Contents
Miscellaneous[edit]
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | State seal on a blue background. Defined as:
|
1950[2][3] |  |
|||
| Motto | Sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants) |
1776[3] | ||||
| Nickname | Old Dominion, Mother of States, Mother of Presidents | n/a[B] | ||||
| Seal | The Seal of Virginia. Defined as:
|
1776[3] |  |
|||
| Slogan | Virginia is for Lovers | 1969[4] | ||||
| License plate | The plate has a completely white background. Virginia is written in red at the top. "400th Anniversary" is written at the bottom with a picture of a ship separating the words. 1607 is written on the left and 2007 is written on the right. | 2002[5] |  [C] |
Flora[edit]
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flower | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) |
1918 |  |
| Tree | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) |
1956 | |
Fauna[edit]
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) |
1950 |  |
| Dog | American Foxhound (Canis lupis familiaris) |
1966 |  |
| Fresh Water Fish | Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) |
1993 |  |
| Insect | Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus) |
1991 |  |
| Salt Water Fish | Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) |
2011 |  |
| Shell | Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica |
1974 |  |
| Bat | Virginia Big-Eared Bat C.t. virginianus |
2005 |  |
Geology[edit]
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil | Chesapecten jeffersonius | 1993 |  |
Culture[edit]
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat | Chesapeake Bay deadrise | 1988 | |
| Drink | Milk | 1982 |  |
| Folk dance | Square dance | 1991 |  |
| Maple Festival | Highland County Maple Festival | 2014 | |
| Song | "Carry Me Back To Old Virginia" | 1997 | |
| Tartan | Virginia Quadricentennial Tartan | 2007 |
Notes[edit]
A The flag was adopted in 1861 after secession from the United States.[3]
B The Virginia Colony was nicknamed "The Old Dominion" by King Charles II for its perceived loyalty to the English monarchy during the English Civil War.[6][dubious ][better source needed]
C Pictures of Virginia license plates throughout the years can be found here.
D In 1940, Virginia made "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" the state song, but it was retired in 1997 and reclassified as the state song emeritus.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "State Trees & State Flowers". United States National Arboreteum. March 5, 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ a b Commonwealth of Virginia (February 1, 1950). "§ 1-506. Flag of the Commonwealth.". Code of Virginia. Virginia: Commonwealth of Virginia. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
The flag of the Commonwealth shall be a deep blue field, with a circular white centre of the same material. Upon this circle shall be painted or embroidered, to show on both sides alike, the coat of arms of the Commonwealth, as described in § 1-500 for the obverse of the great seal of the Commonwealth; and there may be a white fringe on the outer edge, furthest from the flagstaff. This shall be known and respected as the flag of the Commonwealth. (Code 1950, § 7-32; 1966, c. 102, § 7.1-32; 2005, c. 839.)
- ^ a b c d "Virginia (U.S.)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- ^ "Virginia Is For Lovers". Virginia.org. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
- ^ "License plates of Virginia". World License Plates. Retrieved 2002-08-22.
- ^ "How did Virginia get its nickname the old dominion?". Blurt It. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- ^ "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny". Virginia Historical Society. January 11, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
External links[edit]
- "Virginia Commonwealth symbols and emblems". Netstate. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- "State Symbols, Seals and Emblems". Virginia.org. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- "Virginia Official State Symbols". Virginia Tourism Corporation. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
- "Symbols of the Commonwealth". Homework Helper. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
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