Alabama
"Tribal Town" in Creek Indian (7)
Other sources claim it is derived from the
Choctaw Indian language, translating as
"thicket-clearers" or "vegetation-gatherers."
State Nicknames
● The Yellowhammer State:Since the civil war
when a company of Alabama soldiers wore
uniforms trimmed with yellow cloth and were
nicknamed Yellowhammers. "
● The Cotton State: located in the cotton belt
and cotton production was a major influence
in the growth and culture of the state
● The Heart of Dixie: originally because
Montgomery was the first capital of the
Confederate States during the Civil War
When did it become a state?
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Alabama became the 22nd state on
December 14, 1819.
Capital
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Montgomery (3)
Population: 201,998
Birthplace and capital of the confederate
states of america
On January 28, 1846 Montgomery was
selected as the capital of Alabama.
The world's first electric trolley system was
introduced here in 1886.(4)
State Flag
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Authorized by the Alabama Legislature on
February 16, 1895
Salute - Flag of Alabama I salute thee. To thee I pledge
my allegiance, my service, and my life.
Confederate flag
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The Confederate flag was designed and first
flown in Alabama in 1861.
On January 11, 1861 Alabama becomes the
fourth state to secede from the Union.
State Flower
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Goldenrod from September 6, 1927 to
August 26, 1959
Camellia from August 26, 1959 to present
State Wildflower
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Oak Leaf Hydrangea
Adopted 1999
Grows six to eight feet tall.
State Bird
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Yellowhammer AKA the golden winged
woodpecker
Adopted 1927
Flickers are reported to eat more ants than
any other American bird.
Bird call
State Game Bird
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Wild Turkey
Adopted 1980
Today 6.4 million wild turkeys roam the
lower 49 states.
Turkey
State Amphibian
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Red Hills Salamander
Adopted in 1990
Campaign led by the third graders at Fairhope
Elementary School
Exist only in a 50,000 - acre area of southern Alabama.
This rare and elusive salamander was not known to
exist until 1960, when Leslie Hubricht, a renowned
expert on land snails, accidentally discovered the first
one while searching for snails in the Red Hills of
Alabama. It was not only a new species, it was the first
new salamander genus discovered in North America
since 1939. The salamander was named Phaeognathus
hubrichti after Mr. Hubricht. A second specimen wasn't
State Reptile
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Alabama red bellied turtle
Adopted 1990
Adult turtles are approximately 1 foot in
length. Females are slightly larger with a
carapace (upper shell) length reaching 13
inches.
life expectancy for this large turtle is about
50 years in the wild.
Turtle
State saltwater Fish
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Fighting Tarpon
It can reach a weight of 100 pounds.
Tarpon
State Freshwater Fish
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Largemouth bass
They incorrectly identified it by the Latin name
Micropterus punctulatus, which is actually the Spotted
Bass.
Bass
State Butterfly
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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Adopted 1989
butterfly
State Insect
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Monarch Butterfly
The Monarch ingests toxins from the
milkweed plant which are poisonous to
predators.
State Insect
State Fossil
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Basilosaurus cetoides (Zeuglodon)
Adopted 1984
A complete skeleton of a basilosaurus
(which means "king of the lizards") was
found on a plantation in southwestern
Alabama in 1834
The two most complete Basilosaurus
cetoides skeletons ever found are from
Alabama - one is displayed at the McWane
Center in Birmingham and the other in the
State Fossil
State Marine Mammal
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West Indian manatee
Save west indian manatee
State Tree
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Southern Longleaf Pine
first designated the state tree as "the
southern pine tree" in 1949 - it wasn't until
1997 that the southern longleaf pine was
specified.
ecosystem once covered 90 million acres in
the Southeastern United States. Less than
three million acres remain
State Tree Fruit
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Peach
Adopted 2006
There are thirty to forty varieties of peaches
grown commercially throughout Alabama
State Mineral
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Hematite
Adopted 1967
Approximately 375 million tons of hematite
was mined in Alabama from 1840 to 1975
States gemstone
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Star blue quartz
Become the state gemstone 1990
Chosen by a state senator
State Rock
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Marble
Adopted 1969
The marble from this area has been called
the whitest marble in the world.
State Shell
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Johnstone’s Junonia
Adopted 1990
Found only in Alabama water
The shell was named in honor of Kathleen
Yerger Johnstone (an amateur conchologist
from Mobile, Alabama who made seashells
popular through speeches and books).
State Nut
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Pecan
Adopted 1982
April declared as National Pecan Month.
Astronauts took pecans to the moon on two
Apollo space missions.
State Fruit
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Blackberry
Adopted 2004
The Song of the Blackberry queen
State fair
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Florence renaissance faire
Named state fair in 1988
Held the fourth Saturday and Sunday in October
The event draws 40000-50000 people
One of the highlighted pre-fair events is an authentic
Medieval / Renaissance feast featuring food and
entertainment of the period (held one week before the
faire). People who attend the feast are encouraged to
follow the customs of the era by bringing their own
tablecloth, candelabra and eating utensils (this was a
common practise during Medieval times - the nobility
liked to flaunt their wealth by displaying gold plates and
candlesticks of brass, silver and gold).
State Fair
State Mammal
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Black Bear
Adopted 1996
Seeing a bear in the wild is a very rare
experience.
Black bears are not always black - there are
cinnamon, white, beige, and "blue" and
black bears.
They can run up to 30 mph and are good
swimmers.
bear cubs
State Mammal
State Bible
Purchased in 1853, this historic bible was used
to swear in Jefferson Davis as the President
of the Confederate States of America on
February 18, 1861. Each of Alabama's
governors has used this same bible to be
sworn in since 1853
State Soil
State Song
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It was written on March 3rd, 1931
Mrs. Edna Gockel Gussen from Birmingham Alabama
wrote the song
The song is called Alabama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndTPPEU
5vd0
State Seal 1
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Created by William
Wyatt bibb
State seal from
1817-1869
Then from 1937present
The great seal of
Alabama displays
the major rivers of
the state.
State Seal 2
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Creator not named
Seal from 18691939
State motto and coat of arms
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"Audemus jura nostra defendere"
We Dare Retain our rights
Adopted 1939
Alabama's coat of arms displays a shield with the
emblems of five governments that have held
sovereignty over the state. The flags of Spain, France,
Great Britain, and the Confederacy sit behind the
emblem for the United States.
The shield is supported by bald eagles on either side
(symbols of courage). The crest of the shield represents
the Baldine (the ship sailed by Iberville and Bienville
from France in 1699 to settle a colony near present day Mobile).
State Coat of Arms
Rosa Parks (9)
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Feb 13, 1913-October 25, 2005
Civil Rights leader who refused to give up
her seat to a white man
Born in Tuskegee
Rosa Parks Biography
Helen Keller (1)
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June 27, 1880- June 1, 1968
Blind and Deaf Author and lecturer
Born in Tuscumbia
Helen Keller biography
State Outdoor Drama
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The Miracle Worker
Adopted 1991
The first production of the drama was
performed on the grounds of Ivy Green in
1962.
The Miracle Worker
Nathaniel Adams Cole (10)
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Nat King Cole
Known as the man with the velvet voice
March 17, 1919-February 16, 1965
Nat King Cole song
Jesse Owens (6)
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Winner of four gold medals in the 1936
summer olympic games
September 12 1913- March 31 1980
Born in Oakville
Jesse Owens biography
Hank Aaron
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all time homerun champion
Feb 5 1934
Born in Mobile
Hank Aaron biography
Joe Louis
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Heavyweight champion of the world
He held the belt for nearly 12 years
May 13 1914-April 12 1981
Born in Lafayette
Joe Louis biography
Dr. Luther Leonidas Hill
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In 1902 he performed the first open heart
surgery in the Western Hemisphere by
suturing a stab wound in a young boy's
heart.
The surgery occurred in Montgomery.
1862-1946
Heather Whitestone
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In 1995 she served as the first Miss America
chosen with a disability.
She was completely deaf.
Born February 24, 1973 in Dothan.
Mobile (8)
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Named after the Mauvilla Indians
Mobile is known as the city of six flags
having flown under the French, Spanish,
British, Republic of Alabama, Confederacy,
and the USA flags.
The correct pronunciation of the city is
mobeel, given the soft emphasis on the
second syllable by its French founders.
Huntsville (5)
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Rocket capital of the world.
Alabama workers built the first rocket to put
humans on the moon.
In 1956 the Army Ballistic Missile Agency
was established at Huntsville's Redstone
Arsenal.
Enterprise
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Houses the Boll Weevil monument.
Acknowledges the role this destructive insect
played in encouraging farmers to grow crops
other than cotton.
Sequoyah (2)
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Devised the phonetic, written alphabet of the
Cherokee language
State Championship Horse Show
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AOHA Alabama State Championship Horse Show
Adopted 1988
The horse show is usually held at Garrett Coliseum in
Montgomery over Labor Day weekend.
The first statewide horse show was held in Montgomery
over a two- day period in 1988 with 994 entries. By
2002 the Alabama State Championship Horse Show
had grown to a three-day event with over 2,000 entries
Winners receive awards such as trophy saddles, belt
buckles, and plaques. No horse and rider can win more
than one saddle per show, per division.
State Horse
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Racking Horse
Adopted 1975
A group of Alabama businessmen formed a
corporation and initiated the legal
maneuverings that were necessary to
designate this horse as a distinct breed.
State Horse
State Agricultural Museum
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Landmark Park
Located in Dothan
Features of the 100-acre park include an 1890s living
history farm, a one-room schoolhouse, a general store,
a turn-of the-century church, elevated boardwalks,
nature trails, wildlife exhibits, a planetarium, "barnyard
playground" and a picnic area.
State Horseshoe Tournament
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Adopted in 1992
The tournament was held for a few years as
part of the annual Stockton festival but was
then discontinued.
State Musical Drama
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The Incident at Looney's Tavern
Adopted 1993
The musical tells the story of Christopher Sheats (a
young Winston County school teacher) and the hill
people of Alabama, who didn't want to join the
Confederacy and struggled against the South's
secession, nearly creating "The Free State of Winston"
during the Civil War.
The first performances of The Incident at Looney's
Tavern were staged in a shopping center parking lot at
the Winston County
State Musical Drama
State Historic Theater
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Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts
Built in downtown Birmingham by Paramount Studios in
1927 as a showcase for Paramount films
Used primarily as a movie palace for 55 years until
closing its doors in 1981. In 1987 the theater was
purchased by a nonprofit corporation and became a
performing arts centre.
BBQ championship
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Christmas on the River BBQ cookoff
Begin in 1972
Grown to include barbeque teams from nine
states, 75 judges, and thousands of
barbecue fanatics from across the country.