|
|
|
The committee to design a Coat of Arms was appointed by legislative action February 7, 1894, and the design proposed by that committee was accepted and became the official Coat of Arms. The committee recommended for the Coat of Arms a "Shield in color blue, with an eagle upon it with extended pinions, holding in the right talon a palm branch and a bundle of arrows in the left talon, with the word "Mississippi" above the eagle; the lettering on the shield and the eagle to be in gold; below the shield two branches of the cotton stalk, saltierwise, as in submitted design, and a scroll below extending upward and one each side three-fourths of the length of the shield; upon the scroll, which is to be red, the motto be printed in gold letters upon white spaces, as in design accompanying, the motto to be --VIRTUTE et ARMIS."
The committee to design a State Flag was appointed by legislative action February 7, 1894, and provided that the flag reported by the committee should become the official flag. The committee recommended for the flag "one with width two-thirds of its length; with the union square, in width two-thirds of the width of the flag; the ground of the union to be red and a broad blue saltier thereon, bordered with white and emblazoned with thirteen (13) mullets or five-pointed stars, corresponding with the number of the original States of the Union; the field to be divided into three bars of equal width, the upper one blue, the center one white, and the lower one extending the whole length of the flag, red--the national colors; the staff surmounted with a spear-head and a battle-axe below; the flag to be fringed with gold, and the staff gilded with gold."
Found in all sections of Mississippi, the cheerful Mockingbird was selected as the official State Bird by the Women's Federated Clubs and by the State Legislature in 1944.
An election was held in November 1900 to select a State Flower. Votes were submitted by 23,278 school children. The magnolia received 12,745 votes; the cotton blossom 4,171; and the cape jasmine 2,484. There were a few votes for other flowers. The magnolia was officially designated as the State Flower by the 1952 Legislature. In 1935, the Director of Forestry started a movement by which to select a State Tree for Mississippi, to be selected by nomination and election by the school children of the State. Four nominations were made--the magnolia, oak, pine and dogwood. The magnolia received by far the largest majority. On April 1, 1938, the Mississippi Legislature officially designated the magnolia as the State Tree.
The White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was designated the State Land
Mammal of Mississippi by Senate Bill No. 2324, General Laws of Mississippi of
1974. For information about hunting in Mississippi, call (601) 362-9212 or (toll
free in-state only) 1-800-628-7852. To purchase a hunting or fishing license,
call 1-800-5GO-HUNT.
The Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) was designated the State Waterfowl of Mississippi,
Chapter 551, General Laws of Mississippi of 1974. Mississippi boasts more than a
million acres of prime game habitat in 36 state wildlife management areas and
National Wildlife Refuges open for public hunting, including marshy waterfowl
havens.
The Largemouth or Black Bass (Micropterus salmoides) was designated the State
Fish of Mississippi, Chapter 551, General Laws of Mississippi of 1974. Call
1-800-ASK-FISH for weekly fishing reports.
The Honeybee (Apis mellifera) was designated the State Insect of Mississippi,
Chapter 317, General Laws of Mississippi of 1980.
An act designating the Oyster Shell (Crassostrea virginica) as the State
Shell was approved April 12, 1974, Chapter 551, General Laws of Mississippi of
1974.
An act designating the Bottlenosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), commonly called the Porpoise, as the State Water Mammal was approved April 12, 1974, Chapter 551, General Laws of Mississippi of 1974.
Go, Mississippi
Words and Music by Houston Davis
Verse:
States may sing their songs of praise
With waving flags and
hip-hoo-rays,
Let cymbals crash and let bells ring
'Cause here's one song
I'm proud to sing.
Choruses:
Go, Mississippi, keep rolling along,
Go, Mississippi, you cannot go
wrong,
Go, Mississippi, we're singing your song,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, you're on the right track,
Go, Mississippi, and this is a
fact,
Go, Mississippi, you'll never look back,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, straight down the line,
Go, Mississippi, ev'rything's
fine,
Go, Mississippi, it's your state and mine,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, continue to roll,
Go, Mississippi, the top is the
goal,
Go, Mississippi, you'll have and you'll hold,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, get up and go,
Go, Mississippi, let the world
know,
That our Mississippi is leading the show,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
A Senate Concurrent Resolution, designating the prehistoric whale as the state fossil, was adopted March 26, 1981.
An act to designate milk as the state beverage was adopted by the Mississippi State Legislature during the 1984 Regular Session.
A Senate Concurrent Resolution, designating petrified wood as the state
stone, was adopted May 14, 1976. The Mississippi Petrified Forest is a privately
operated park and museum located at 124 Forest Park Road, Flora, Mississippi.
For more information call (601) 879-8189.
See Copyright | Home