Soubriquets Of States (Nicknames)

Empire State Sign - photo by Cyndy Sims Parr

The following article on state nickname’s appeared in the Washington Time’s Newspaper way back in 1901. Seeing the description of the nicknames of the various states at that time in history, may give you a different look at the history of your state. Nicknames have changed in some cases. With others we are given a brief insight to how the states were viewed by their inhabitants or their neighbors. The article is fun and fascinating reading, and holds some real gems that you may want to reference in your state reports.

Some of the Nicknames and Why They Are Applied

From the old stone bridge across Hock Creek, connecting K Street in Washington with Water Street in Georgetown, and which was replaced by the present iron structure, Pennsylvania derives its nickname, The Keystone State. The names of the thirteen original States were carved upon the faces of the archstones of this bridge, which was the first to connect this city with Georgetown, and Pennsylvania was cut In the keystone of the arch. Some of the stones of the old bridge may still be seen in the vicinity of its site.

The origin of the nicknames, applied to the various States of the Union and their inhabitants, is interesting to trace. Virginia, the first British colony in the New World, is commonly known as The Old Dominion, sometimes too as The Ancient Dominion. The Mother of States, and The Mother of Presidents, the first in accordance with its official designation during the early days of its history as The Colony and Dominion of Virginia. Its designation as The Mother of Presidents arises from the fact that four out of the first five Presidents of the United States were natives of Virginia; as were Harrison, Tyler, and Taylor subsequently.

The titles Old Line State and Cockade State have been given to Maryland In memory of the famous old Maryland Line regiment, a fine, well-disciplined body of troops, principally composed of young men who wore brilliant cockades in their hats. When Cornwallis grenadiers charged through the broken American lines at Lough land the Marylanders checked the onset of the British veterans and thus saved the day.

Connecticut was formerly known as The Blue Law State from the contemptuous epithet. Blue applied at the restoration of Charles II to every person and thing that savored of Puritanism. Hence, also the derisive epithet applied by the Southerners to the people of the Eastern States of Blue-nose Yankee. Another nickname given Connecticut, Is The Nutmeg State. This arose from the absurd story that wooden nutmegs were manufactured there on a large scale for exportation. A more flattering designation of Connecticut is The Land of Steady Habits, which phrase explains itself.

Massachusetts is called The Bay State because the original name of this colony In the New England Commonwealth was Massachusetts Bay.

North Carolina Is The Old North State, owing to its position in the Carollnas, and The Turpentine State from the great quantity of turpentine taken in Its pine forests. At the time of the civil war and for some time afterward, the natives were nicknamed Tar Heels in allusion to the Important tar Industry of the lowland forests.

South Carolina Is The Palmetto State from the palmetto tree distinguished in the seal of the Commonwealth. During the civil war the South Carolina troops were known as Palmetto Boys. The poor descendants of the laboring whites, who on the introduction of slave labor betook themselves to the pine woods that cover the sandhills of South Carolina and Georgia, have ever since borne the name of Sandhlllers. Olmstead says in his work on the slave holding States that these people were small, gaunt and cadaverous, while their skin is just the color of the sandhtlls they live on.

Another nickname for this same class of people originally, but what more recently has come to be bestowed upon the natives of Georgia, but general is the Crackers as Olmstead, supposes from their peculiar dialect almost incomprehensible and difficult to report or describe. Another writer suggests that the name Is derived from Corncracker a species of long legged bird allied to the crane, whence also the natives of Kentucky have derived their peculiar nickname of Corncrackers.

Georgia is known as The Empire State of the South from the rapidity of its industrial development.

Kentucky Is called The Blue Grass State from the beautiful orchard grass that flourishes In the partial shade of the woods. A common name for Kentucky In former times was The Dark and Bloody Ground. This designation was applied not merely In allusion to the sanguinary conflicts that constantly took place between the white settlers and the Indians, but because this was the great battle ground of the latter before white occupation.

Maine Is The Pine Tree state from her luxuriant forests of that tree, a towering pine figuring in her arms.

New Hampshire Is The Granite State from the abundance of granite found there.

New York is The Empire State from her commanding position and the vast wealth and enterprise of her people. The nickname of the New Yorkers is Knickerbockers in allusion to the wide breeches worn by the early Dutch settlers of New York City, or rather New Amsterdam, as the colony was at first designated.

New Jersey bears the name of The Garden State owing to the quantity and variety of its agricultural and floral products. It Is said that when Jerome Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon, who made him King of Naples in 1806, and two years later King of Spain, lied to America after the Battle of Waterloo, and bought an estate at Bordentown N J, he entertained so many Spaniards during the time of his residence there that Philadelphians dubbed the whole State, The State of Spain, and its inhabitants Spaniards and Foreigners.

strong>Rhode Island In often popularly described as Rhody and Little Rhody on account of its diminutive size In comparison with its neighbors.

Florida Is for obvious reasons dubbed The Peninsula State, also The Everglade State from one of Its characteristic features. There was a period when the people of Florida were nicknamed Fly-Up-The-Creek, doubtless from their bashfulness at the approach of strangers.

Alabama Is called The Cotton Plantation State.

Missouri Is The Bullion State in memory of Its Senator Thomas Hart Benton who obtained the sobilquet of Old Bullion from ls exertions in favor of gold and silver currency, instead of banks nnd a paper currency.

Louisiana is The Pelican State from the pelican distinguished in her arms, also The Creole State. There is some difference in the applications of the term, creole, it being used in Southern of the country to describe quadroons and octaroons, and also a white native of Trench extraction.

Texas is called The Lone Star State on nccount of the single star in the centre of her flag Indicative of her one time political isolation from the rest of the Commonwealths of the United States.

Ohio Is The Buckeye State, and her people are called Buckeyes from the number of buckeye trees which abound in this region.

Mississippi is commonly known as The Bayou State. Mississippi also bears the name of The Border Eagle State from the American eagle, which appears on her arms, and the fact that it was a frontier State before the Louisiana purchase.

Iowa is The Hawkeye State, and the people are called Hawkeyes, after the Indian chief who, In the days of old, was a terror to newcomers in that section.

Kansas Is The Sunflower State from the profusion of that flower, also The Jayhawker State; and the people are sometimes known as Jayhawkers. The latter title Is traced to Colonel Jennisou of New York who being of a jovial nature was always alluded to by his boon companions as the Gay Yorker, which being corrupted into Jayhawker, was first applied to his soldiers and afterwards to Kansans generally.

Arkansas Is known as The Bear State according to some on account of the bears, which in early days were numerous within Its borders. The general name for the inhabitants was formerly Toothpicks in graceful allusion to the bowie knives worn by the settlers, and which were facetiously termed toothpicks.

Illinois is variously alluded to as The Prairie State, The Garden of the West, and The Sucker State.

Wisconsin is known as The Badger State, because of the subterranean human abodes once popular there. The people are called Badgers.

Michigan Is The Wolverine State because of the prairie wolves that made the region their home, and the people are designated Wolverines.

Delaware is The Diamond State, because of its great wealth In proportion to its small size.

Indiana is called The Hoosier State and Hoosier-dom, and the people are everywhere known as Hooslers, according to the Kentuckian explanation from their rough manner of exclaiming when anyone knocks at the door, “Who’s yere?”

Minnesota is generally styled The North Star State from the motto on its arms, “L’Etoile du Nord,” chosen by Governor Sibley by reason of the northern situation of this State.

In the Union, Vermont Is The Green Mountain State in allusion to its principal natural feature, while Nebraska is The Antelope State, so called from the antelopes that once roamed over its plains; also The Blackwater State from the streams darkened by the rich black soil in this region.

California is The Golden State and Eldorado the literal Spanish for The Golden Region.

Both Nevada and Colorado bear the name of The Silver State from their chief product. Colorado is known, also, as The Centennial State and its people are Centennials because it was admitted to the Union in the hundredth year after the Declaration of Independence.

Oregon is The Sunset State from its westerly situation.

Advocates of woman’s rights will be pleased to learn that Wyoming is called The Equality State, because according to Mr. Sweetser ever since its organization and women have been accorded equal rights to vote, and the people have ratified the same principle in the State constitution.

West Virginia boasts the names Switzerland of America and Mountain State.

Alaska has been termed Uncle Sams Ice Box, but It may perhaps be as appropriately nicknamed Uncle Sams Gold Mine.

Source: The Times, Washington, July 14, 1901.