Tennessee is a state in the southeastern area of America.Among all the states of America, Tennessee ranks 36th in its size and ranks 16th population-wise, with a population of seven million. Because of a long legacy of military duty, it gained the title ‘The Volunteer State’ in the past.Tennessee has a diversified topography and landforms and a variety of cultural traits that are distinctive from east to west. Tennessee has several state symbols recognized for their significance in the state and its history. Let’s have a look at the Tennessee state symbols!Tennessee State Symbols, Emblems, And MascotsDo you know that Tennessee has the most boundaries of any state? It is the state which gives the most warriors to the Union. Famous beverages like Coca-Cola owe much of their success to this state. It is also home to prominent people such as Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift. Tennessee is also famous for its delicious food, such as Memphis-style barbecue of pork ribs slow-cooked in a pit, Nashville hot chicken, and Tennessee whiskey. With these few facts, you might be inspired to discover more about this state. Let’s look into it.Tennessee originally began adopting state symbols with an official seal authorized in its first state constitution of 1796. However, this seal was officially placed and utilized from 1802. The state seal that has been in use since 1987 is a modernized version of the earlier design. The Great Seal of Tennessee features the theme of agriculture which is illustrated by images of a plow, wheat bundle, and a cotton plant as they are the important cash crops grown in the state. At the same time, the lower half of the seal is an image of a riverboat that illustrates the theme of commerce, as river trade plays an important role in its economy with three large rivers in the state.Tennessee established its state flag in 1905, with a red field and an emblem of three stars in a blue circle surrounded by a white border. It also features a blue stripe on the side of the flag, which is lined by white. This flag was created from Le Roy Reeve’s vision that the three stars symbolize the state’s three geographic regions; East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. These are known as the grand divisions of Tennessee, joined together by the blue field as an inseparable trinity.In 1965, Tennessee adopted the slogan ‘Tennessee: America at its best’. It is one of the most agriculturally diverse states with a rich environment and good rainfall. Accordingly, it adopted its motto of ‘Agriculture and Commerce’ from 1987.In 2003, Tennessee recognized the tomato as its official state fruit. Most of the tomato production is in Lauderdale and Grainger counties. These counties even celebrate an annual tomato festival to honor tomato producers, which have become renowned worldwide.Tennessee has identified two trees as their state symbols. The first is Liriodendron tulipifera, generally known as the tulip poplar, tulipwood, tulip tree, fiddle tree, yellow-poplar, or whitewood. It is the fasted growing tall hardwood there is and was assigned as the official state tree of Tennessee in 1947. The second tree is the Juniperus virginiana, popularly known as the red cedar or eastern red cedar, which was chosen as a state tree in 2012. Cherokee people regard the tree as sacred as it is indigenous to the state. This tree is special because it can survive in extreme conditions, such as the limestone cedar glades in the Middle Tennessee region, and as such, it plays a vital part in the state’s ecosystem.In 1971, Tennessee declared the raccoon, the most widespread species, to be the official state wild animal. In 2000, the Tennessee Walking Horse, a popular riding horse due to its smooth ride and calm nature, was recognized as one of the state symbols. The Tennessee cave salamander, which lives in caves and is sensitive to water quality, represents amphibians in the state symbols as of 1995. Representing reptiles since 1995 is the eastern box turtle or land turtle.Tennessee has four distinct insects as its official state symbols. In the year 1975, the firefly, also known as a lightning bug or glowworm, was chosen as one of the state symbols because of the famous annual sightings of fireflies blinking in the same pitch in the Great Smoky Mountains near Elkmont, Tennessee. The ladybug was also chosen as a state symbol the same year. Later the honeybee was selected as the official state agricultural insect in 1990, as it serves an important role in Tennessee through pollination. In 1995, the Zebra Swallowtail became Tennessee’s state butterfly. It has a peculiar wing shape and long tail, and a black and white striped pattern on its back just like a zebra.In 1973, the poem ‘Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee’ was adopted as the state poem. It was written by Admiral William P. Lawrence while he was jailed in North Vietnam’s war camp.The agate, composed primarily of chalcedony and quartz with a wide range of shades, was selected as the state mineral in 1969. Limestone, which is vastly found across the state, was picked as the official state rock in 1979.In 1979, the freshwater pearl, obtained from mussels, was designated as the state gem.In 1980, the state recognized a unique traditional dance style known as the square dance as one of the state symbols. This dance requires four couples to be positioned in a square.Pterotrigonia thoracica, a cretaceous bivalve was named an official state fossil in 1998. It is an extinct form of clam that inhabited Tennessee 70 million years ago.In 2009, milk was declared the state beverage.Sandy, an ancient American statue constructed of sandstone excavated in 1939 on Sellars Farm in Wilson County, was declared the state antique in 2014. In February 2016, the Barrett M82/M107 was selected as the state rifle.Tennessee State FishTennessee state has about 320 distinct fish species. Because of its strongholds of aquatic variety, the state ranks second for the richness of its freshwater fish. This prompted the recognition of two fish species as state fish in 1988.Due to the popularity of channel catfish as food, it has been recognized as an official commercial fish. The largemouth bass is recognized as the official state sport fish as it is popularly hunted by recreational anglers. Because of its popularity within different world records and Tennessee’s production, the channel catfish replaced the largemouth bass as the official sport fish in 2005.Tennessee State SongMusic has played a vital role in Tennessee culture such that the state capital of Nashville is known as Music City. Tennessee is well-known for its music and has played a significant part in developing various prominent musical styles in the United States, such as early rock & roll, soul music, blues including Memphis blues and country blues, southern hip hop and Memphis rap, rhythm and blues, rock, gospel, and Christian music. Indeed, Nashville, Memphis, and Bristol are recognized as the musical ancestors of country music.Almost all the states in America have one or more state songs, with the exception of two states. Of all, Tennessee has the most official state songs, and can you imagine how many there are? There are a total of nine official state songs. Yes, you read that correctly: nine. Let’s explore those.In 1925, the first state song was approved, titled ‘My Homeland, Tennessee’, by Nell Grayson Taylor and Roy Lamont Smith.Because the iris was declared the state flower in 1933, ‘When It’s Iris Time in Tennessee’, penned by Willa Waid Newman, was approved as a state song from 1935.In 1955, ‘My Tennessee’ was adopted as the state’s official public school song. Frances Hannah Tranum, a poet and songwriter, from East Tennessee wrote this song to convey her interest in her hometown’s history and natural beauty.‘Tennessee Waltz’ is a classic and best-selling country music classic composed by Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King. Because of its popularity, the General Assembly designated this song as the state’s official song in 1965.In 1982, ‘Rocky Top’, written by couple Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant, was recognized as a state song.Next, ‘Tennessee’, penned by Vivian Rorie, was proclaimed an official state song in 1992.In 1996, ‘The Pride of Tennessee’, written by Fred Congdon, Carol Elliot, and Thomas Vaughn, was declared an official song.‘Smoky Mountain Rain’, written by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan and sung by Ronnie Milsap, was included as a state song in 2010. The General Assembly also discussed a resolution to declare ‘So I’ll Just Shine in Tennessee’ as a state song the same year but did not act on it.In 2011, a song titled ‘Tennessee’, composed by John R. Bean was approved as an official state song.Furthermore, Joan Hill Hanks’ Tennessee Bicentennial Rap song was recognized as the state’s Official Bicentennial Rap song in 1996 to give youngsters a cheerful tune with which to learn the state’s history.Tennessee State BirdThe state’s official bird is usually a species exclusively discovered in that state. Like every other state, Tennessee has a state bird as part of its culture and natural beauty.Tennessee has recognized two different types of birds as state birds. The first was in 1933 when the General Assembly adopted the mockingbird as the state bird. These birds are well known for their behavior of loudly and quickly copying the songs of other songbirds and even the sounds of insects and amphibians. Secondly, the Bobwhite quail, also known as the Virginia quail or northern Bobwhite, is the only tiny galliform endemic to America and was chosen as the state game bird in 1988. This bird gets its name from its unique whistling sound.Tennessee State FlowerEvery state has different state flowers for different types of ground. Some are chosen because they grow exclusively in the state, while others are picked for their rich history or beauty. Let’s discover what Tennessee’s state flower is.Tennessee has more than one official state flower, one state cultivated flower, and two wildflowers. The Iris is picked as the state’s cultivated flower. Iris is a flowering plant with dazzling blooms, extensively grown as an ornamental plant in homes and gardens, making it a state cultivated flower.Passiflora incarnata, commonly known as purple passionflower, wild passion vine, wild apricot, true passionflower, and maypop, was recognized as the state wildflower in 1919. This fast-growing perennial vine was chosen as a state flower by a vote of the state’s schoolchildren, with the process overseen by a five-member commission.Echinacea tennesseensis, an endemic species of Tennessee was elected as the second official state wildflower during the Public Act 829 in 2012. This flower is commonly known as the Tennessee purple coneflower and can only be found in a few places in Davidson, Wilson, and Rutherford Counties. It was originally categorized as an endangered plant species but has since been restored.
Tennessee is a state in the southeastern area of America.
