Symbol | Official Item

Tennessee designated the 700-year old Mississippian stone statue known as "Sandy" as the official state artifact in March of 2014. All Cultural Heritage Symbols

by Brownie McIntosh

New Hampshire designated Oh, New Hampshire (you're my home), words and music by Brownie McIntosh, as an official honorary state song in 1977.

Lyrics

Oh New Hampshire you're my home
where a lonely seagull flies
like a love I've never known
brings a teardrop to my eyes

walkin' barefoot in your sands
or a clear blue mountain stream
leaves my troubles far away
or at least that's how it seems

by Julius Richelson and Walter P. Smith

New Hampshire designated New Hampshire, My New Hampshire (words by Julius Richelson, music by Walter P. Smith) as an honorary state song in 1963.

Lyrics

From the top of Old New England,
To the shores of Portsmouth Bay,
A land known as the Granite State
With its Lakes & mountains lay.

From lofty mountain splendor
to enchanting vales below,
God's glory is reflected
in the home-land that we know.

by Rene J. Richard

New Hampshire designated The New Hampshire State March by Rene J. Richard as an honorary state song in 1977.

Lyrics

We are proud to say we're from New Hampshire
may we always take this stand
May her beauty warm our hearts forever
She's the grandest in the land.

We have shown thoughout the years
Freedom surely will prevail
To protect this right
We will stand and fight
for the State we proudly hail.

New Hampshire has ten state songs (more than any other state); one is the "official" state song, and the others are "honorary" state songs:

(1) 1949: Old New Hampshire by Dr. John F. Holmes and music by Maurice Hoffmann (the official  (state song; all others are "honorary" state songs).

Striped bass (Roccus saxatilis) was designated the official saltwater game fish of New Hampshire in 1994.

New Hampshire designated the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) as the official state fish in 1994. Brook Trout only live under water conditions that are cool, clean and pure.

New Hampshire designated smoky quartz as the official state gem in 1985 (also known as cairngormas). Quartz is a common mineral found in many types of rocks, including granite (New Hampshire's official state rock).

The name Michigan is based on a native American (Chippewa) word; "meicigama" (meaning "great water," a word referring to Lake Superior). Thirty-two counties in Michigan also have names drawn from native American languages (as do many other state names). All State Name Origins

Michigan's state motto is the Latin phrase; "Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam, circumspice," meaning; "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you" (the motto appears on Michigan's state seal and  state flag). All State Mottos