Symbol | Official Item

Each state in the U.S. has selected a representative state soil (over twenty states have adopted their representative soil as an official state symbol). All State Soils

Pennsylvania designated the firefly, Photuris pennsylvanica (De Geer), as the official state insect in 1974. A small, unremarkable beetle by day, fireflies can transform a midsummer night into a fairyland of tiny, brilliant twinkling lights - a true wonder of nature. The firefly is also a state symbol of Tennessee. All State Insects

The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) was designated the official state bird of Pennsylvania in 1931. All State Birds.

The great Dane was designated the official state dog of Pennsylvania in 1965. A portrait of William Penn and his great Dane hangs in the Governor's reception room (Best Friend, by Pennsylvania artist Violet Oakley). All State Dogs & Cats

Great Danes were used as a hunting and working breed in frontier Pennsylvania. PA Legislation states that naming an official dog of the Commonwealth would "recognize the steadfast service and loyal devotion of all dogs in Pennsylvania."

The Appalachian American Indians of West Virginia (AAIWV) were designated as "an official intertribal tribe of the state of West Virginia" in 1996. All West Virginia Symbols & Icons

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 25

WHEREAS, American Indians were the original inhabitants of the lands that now comprise the United States of America and West Virginia; and

West Virginia designated the River City Youth Ballet Ensemble as the official state youth ballet in 2007. All State Dances & Music Symbols - All Arts & Drama Symbols

HCR No. 22

WHEREAS, The River City Youth Ballet Ensemble was founded in 1995 to give talented young ballet dancers the opportunity to learn and grow in the performing arts; and

West Virginia designated Monongahela silt loam as the official state soil in 1997. All State Soils

Monongahela soils are used primarily for pasture, cultivated crops, and industrial and residential sites. Common crops include corn, soy beans, and wheat. Pasture acres have a mixture of grasses and legumes. Forest acreage is limited; common trees growing on wooded areas include red oak, white oak, yellow-poplar, sycamore, white pine, and Virginia pine.

West Virginia designated Cass Scenic Railroad State Park's Shay No. 5 as the official state steam locomotive in 2004. The legislation also designated 2005 as the "Year of the Shay No. 5." All Railroad Symbols

West Virginia designated bituminous coal as the state rock in 2009 to symbolize the integral part the coal industry has played in the "economic and social fabric of the state." Coal is also a state symbol of Kentucky and Utah. All State Rocks & Minerals

West Virginia designated the Hall flintlock model 1819 as the official state firearm in 2013. All State Firearms

WV Metro News; "The firearm was produced at the National Armory in Harper’s Ferry by John H. Hall. It was adopted for use by the US Army in 1819 and was one of the standard firearms for US Army infantry all the way through the Civil War."