Tennessee State Symbols and Emblems (original) (raw)
For the latest symbols information, visit the NETSTATE CHRONICLE.
Designation | Symbol / Emblem | Adopted |
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Sources... The State of Tennessee. Tennessee Code Annotated. Nashville: The State of Tennessee, 2011. Web. 25 Sep 2011. http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/tncode/."Tennessee Blue Book 2009-2010." Tennessee Department of State. Tennessee Department of State, 2010. Web. 23 Sep 2011. http://www.tn.gov/sos/bluebook/09-10/48%20Symbols%20&%20Honors.pdf.Shankle, George Earlie. State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols. Irvine, Calif.: Reprint Services Corp, Revised edition, 1971.Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 3 Sub edition, 2001. | ||
97th General Assembly song | "Tennessee," words and music by Vivian Rorie. | 1992 |
Agricultural insect | Honeybee (Apis mellifera) | 1990 |
Amphibian | Tennessee cave salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus) | 1995 |
Artifact | "Sandy," Mississippian stone statuary | 2014 |
Aviation hall of fame | Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame, Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport in Sevier County. | 2001 |
Beverage | Milk | 2009 |
Bird | Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1933 |
Botanical garden | University of Tennessee Botanical Gardens | 2013 |
Butterfly | Zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) | 1994 |
Commercial fish | Channel catfsh (Ictalurus lacustris punctatus) | 1988 |
Cultivated flower | Iris (Genus Iridaceae) | 1973 |
Evergreen tree | Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) | 2012 |
Fife and drum corps | Watauga Valley Fife and Drum Corps | 2014 |
Fine art | Porcelain painting | 1981 |
Flag | Find out more... | 1905 |
Folk dance | Square Dance | 1980 |
Flower | Passionflower What happened to the official state flowers?Iris | 19191933 |
Fossil | Pterotrigonia (Scabrotrigonia) thoracica of the Coon Creek Formation. | 1998 |
Fruit | Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) | 2003 |
Game bird | Bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) | 1988 |
Gem | Tennessee pearl | 1979 |
Great seal | Find out more... | 17961987 |
Horse | Tennessee walking horse (Equus caballus) | 2000 |
Insects | Firefly or lightning bug beetle (Family: Lampyridae)Ladybird beetle or ladybug (Family: Coccinellidae) | 1975 |
Jamboree and crafts festival | The Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival | 1997 |
Language | English | 1984 |
Mineral | Agate | 2009 |
Outdoor drama | Production at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area | 2009 |
Painting | "Tennessee Treasures," by Michael Sloan. | 1997 |
Painting | "Tennessee Treasures Too," by Michael Sloan. | 2007 |
Pet | Dogs and cats that are adopted from Tennessee animal shelters and rescues | 2014 |
Poem | "Oh Tennesssee, My Tennessee," by Vice-Admiral William Porter Lawrence. | 1973 |
Public school song | My Tennessee," by Francis Hannah Tranum. | 19311955 |
Railroad library | The A.C. Kalmbach Memorial Library, Chattanooga | 2004 |
Railroad museum | Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, Hamilton County | 1978 |
Railroad museum | Cowan Railroad Museum, Franklin County | 2007 |
Reptile | Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) | 1995 |
Rifle | Barrett Model M82/M107 | 2016 |
Rock | Limestone | 1979 |
Salutes to flag | Find out more... | 2006 |
Site of freshwater pearl culturing | Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm and Museum, Camden, Benton County. | 2004 |
Slogan | Tennessee - America at its Best | 1965 |
Song | "My Homeland, Tennessee," words by Nell Grayson Taylor, music by Roy Lamont Smith. | 1925 |
Song | "When It's Iris Time in Tennessee," by Willa Mae Waid. | 1935 |
Song | "Tennessee Waltz" by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King. | 1965 |
Song | "Rocky Top" by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. | 1982 |
Song | "The Pride of Tennessee" by Fred Congdon, Thomas Vaughn and Carol Elliot. | 1996 |
Song | "Smoky Mountain Rain" by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan. | 2010 |
Song | "Tennessee" by John R. Bean. | 2011 |
Sport fish | Small-mouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) | 2005 |
Symbol | Circular feature of state flag | 2016 |
Theatre | Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville | 1999 |
Tartan | Find out more... | 1999 |
Tree | Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) | 1947 |
Veterans poem | “Home To Stay” by the late Jasper N. Bailey | 2014 |
Veterans poem | “Echos From a Soldier's Grave” by Sergeant First Class Ernest E. Sharp | 2016 |
Wild animal | Raccoon (Procyon lotor) | 1971 |
Wild flower | Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) | 1973 |
Wild flower | Tennessee echinacea (Echinacea tennesseensis) | 2012 |
Bicentennial designations
Designation | Symbol / Emblem | Adopted |
---|---|---|
Sources... "Tennessee Blue Book 2009-2010." Tennessee Department of State. Tennessee Department of State, 2010. Web. 23 Sep 2011. http://www.tn.gov/sos/bluebook/09-10/48%20Symbols%20&%20Honors.pdf.Tennessee Department of State. The Tennessee Blue Book. 1977-1978. Nashville: Tennessee Department of State, 1978. 510-511.Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 3 Sub edition, 2001. | ||
Bicentennial poem | "Who We Are," by Margaret Britton Vaughn. | 1997 |
Bicentennial portrait | The Pride of Tennessee | 1990 |
Bicentennial rap song | "A Tennessee Bicentennial Rap," by Joan Hill Hanks. | 1996 |
Bicentennial school song | "My Home Will Always Be in Tennessee" by Shirley McRae, Terre Campbella-McCormick and Margaret Campbelle duGard. | 1996 |
Bicentennial tree | The Yellowwood Tree (Cladrastis lutea) | 1991 |
U.S. bicentennial march song | "The Tennessee Salute," by Richard M. "Pek" Gunn. | 1975 |
U.S. bicentennial song | "Fly Eagle, Fly!," by James Rogers. | 1976 |
Making laws in Tennessee
The Tennessee legislature, called the Tennessee General Assembly, offers About the Legislature which includes an overview and articles such as How a Bill Becomes Law and a Glossary to help us understand how laws are made in Tennessee. The Homework Help section contains The Tennessee House of Representatives Activity Book, Matching Games, a Student Activity Book from the Office of the Chief Clerk of the Senate, and some History for Kids
Additional Information
State Symbols: The State of Tennessee.
Tennessee Facts and Symbols
Kathy Feeney
Tennessee Facts and Symbols, by Kathy Feeney. 24 pages. Publisher: Capstone Press; Rev Upd edition (August 2003) Reading level: Grades 3-4. Interest level: Grades 3-9. Perfect for report writing! Easy-to-read text covers major Tennessee symbols such as the state flag, seal, bird, tree, flower, animal, and more. A "Fast Facts" section highlights the state's capital city, largest city, physical size, population, natural resources, farm products, and primary manufactured goods. Also included are full-page maps that introduce the concept of the map key, which is great for teaching map-reading skills.
Tennessee State Symbols
Rob Simbeck
Tennessee State Symbols, by Rob Simbeck. 192 pages. Publisher: Univ Tennessee Press; 1 edition (July 3, 2002) Tennesseans may be stirred by the sight of their state flag or the strains of "The Tennessee Waltz," but there are many other symbols associated with the Volunteer State: animals, plants, and even rocks. This new edition of Rob Simbeck's popular book describes thirty-one emblems of Tennessee's heritage and explains how they came to be recognized as official state symbols.
Simbeck has compiled a treasury of facts and anecdotes about Tennessee's symbols that will surprise even those who have lived their entire lives in the state. Here is the story behind the construction of the state capitol; an account of the "war of the iris and passionflower" as they vied for official recognition; and a fascinating look at the most fragile state symbol, the freshwater pearl, the product of the state's mussels, many of which are endangered. Also included are the lyrics to Tennessee's seven state songs, from "Rocky Top" to "Pride of Tennessee."
State Names, Seals Flags and Symbols
Benjamin F. Shearer
Barbara S. Shearer
State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols, by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer. 544 pages. Greenwood Press; 3 Sub edition (October 30, 2001) This is one of the best, and most comprehensive, books we could find about the official state names and nicknames, mottoes, seals, flags, capitols, flowers, trees, birds, songs, and miscellaneous designations of each state. This, coupled with the 1938 Shankle book, formed the basis of our symbol library. If you're serious about your states symbols, you'll want to have this book and the one below. This book also contains information about state holidays, license plates, sports teams, universities and other trivia.
State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols, by George Earlie Shankle. 522 pages. Reprint Services Corp; Revised edition (June 1971) Reprint of the 1938 revised edition. The first comprehensive book about our state symbols! From the preface: "This book grew out of the desire of its author to know, about his native state, a great many facts which he found exceedingly difficult to obtain. After three years of research in the Library of Congress, he is able to give to the public this storehouse of information, which could have been gathered from not library less fertile in source material..."
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