List of Alabama state symbols

The state of Alabama has a total of 41 official state emblems. The oldest symbol is the Alabama State Bible, from 1853.[1] The most recently designated symbol is the peach, Alabama's state tree fruit, established in 2006.

State symbols of Alabama
List of state symbols
MottoAudemus jura nostra defendere
Song"Alabama"
Foundation dayDecember 14, 1814 (1814-12-14)
Living insignia
AmphibianRed Hills salamander
BirdYellowhammer
ButterflyMonarch butterfly
Fish
FlowerCamellia
FruitBlackberry
Horse breedRacking horse
MammalAmerican black bear
MascotEastern tiger swallowtail
ReptileAlabama red-bellied turtle
TreeSouthern longleaf pine
VegetableSweet potato
Inanimate insignia
DrinkConecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey
Folk danceSquare dance
FossilBasilosaurus
GameWild turkey
GemstoneStar blue quartz
MineralHematite
RockMarble
ShellJohnstone's junonia
ShipUSS Alabama
SoilBama
Sweet
State route marker
Route marker
State quarter
Alabama quarter dollar coin
Released in 2003
Lists of United States state symbols
Location of the state of Alabama in the United States of America

Alabama does not have an official nickname, although "Heart of Dixie" was strongly promoted by the Alabama Chamber of Commerce in the 1940s and 1950s, and put on state license plates.[2][3]

Insignia

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Type Symbol Year Image
Bible The Alabama State Bible 1853[1]
Great Seal The Seal of Alabama 1876[4]  
Flag The flag of Alabama 1895[5]  
Coat of arms The coat of arms of Alabama 1939[6]  
Military Crest The State Military Crest of Alabama  
Motto Audemus jura nostra defendere
We dare defend our rights
1939[7]  
Creed Alabama state creed 1939[8]
Mascot Eastern tiger swallowtail 1989[9]  

Species

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Type Symbol Year Image
Bird Yellowhammer (yellow-shafted flicker)
Colaptes auratus
1933[10]  
Saltwater fish Atlantic tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
1955[11]  
Flower Camellia[12]
Camellia japonica L.
1959[13]  
Horse Racking Horse
Equus caballus
1975[14]
Freshwater fish Largemouth bass
Micropterus salmoides
1975[15]  
Game bird Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
1980[16]  
Nut Pecan
Carya illinoinensis
1982[17]  
Butterfly Eastern tiger swallowtail
Papilio glaucus
1989[9]  
Insect Monarch butterfly
Danaus plexippus
1989[18]  
Reptile Alabama red-bellied turtle
Pseudemys alabamensis
1990[19]  
Shell Johnstone's junonia
Scaphella junonia johnstoneae
1990[20]  
Tree Southern longleaf pine
Pinus palustris
1997[21]  
Wildflower Oak-leaf hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia Bartr.
1999[22]  
Amphibian Red Hills salamander
Phaeognathus hubrichti
2000[23]  
Fruit Blackberry
Rubus occidentalis
2004[24]  
Mammal American black bear
Ursus americanus
2006[25]  
Tree fruit Peach
Prunus persica
2006[26]  
Vegetable Sweet potato
Ipomoea batatas
2021[27][28]  
Legume Peanut
Arachis hypogaea
2022[29]  
Native Grass Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
2024[30]

 

Geology

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Type Symbol Year Image
Mineral Hematite 1967[31]  
Rock Marble 1969[32]  
Fossil Basilosaurus
Basilosaurus cetoides
1984[33]  
Gemstone Star blue quartz 1990[34]  
Soil Bama 1997[35]  

Culture

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Type Symbol Year Image
Song "Alabama" 1931[36]
American folk dance Square dance 1981[37]  
Renaissance fair Florence, Alabama Renaissance Fair 1988[38]  
Horse show AOHA Alabama State Championship Horse Show 1988[39]  
Outdoor drama The Miracle Worker 1991[40]  
Barbecue competition Alabama Barbecue Championship 1991[41]  
Agricultural museum Dothan Landmark Park 1992[42]
Horseshoe tournament Stockton Fall Horseshoe Tournament 1992[43]  
Historic theatre Alabama Theatre 1993[44]  
Outdoor musical drama The Incident at Looney's Tavern 1993[45]
Quilt Pine Burr Quilt 1997[46]
Spirit Conecuh Ridge Alabama Fine Whiskey 2004[47]  
Cake Lane cake 2016[48]  
Cookie Yellowhammer cookie 2023[49]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Alabama State Bible". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 15, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  2. ^ "The Heart of Dixie". Alabama Department of Archives and History. March 30, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  3. ^ "Alabama Emblems, Symbols and Honors". Alabama Department of Archives and History. February 5, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  4. ^ "Alabama Great Seal". Alabama Department of Archives and History. January 2, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  5. ^ "Alabama State Flag". Alabama Department of Archives and History. September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  6. ^ "Official Alabama Coat of Arms". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  7. ^ "Official Alabama Motto". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  8. ^ "Alabama's Creed". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  9. ^ a b "Alabama Official Mascot and Butterfly". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 17, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  10. ^ "Alabama State Bird". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  11. ^ "Official Alabama Saltwater Fish". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  12. ^ Before 1959, the state flower was the goldenrod (adopted September 6, 1927).
  13. ^ "State Flower of Alabama". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  14. ^ "Official Alabama Horse". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 17, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  15. ^ "Official Alabama Fresh Water Fish". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 17, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  16. ^ "Official Alabama Game Bird". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 17, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  17. ^ "Official Alabama Nut". Alabama Department of Archives and History. July 12, 2001. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  18. ^ "Official Alabama Insect". Alabama Department of Archives and History. February 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  19. ^ "Official Alabama Reptile". Alabama Department of Archives and History. July 12, 2001. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  20. ^ "Alabama Shell". Alabama Department of Archives and History. August 16, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  21. ^ "Alabama Tree: Southern Longleaf Pine". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  22. ^ "State Wildflower of Alabama". Alabama Department of Archives and History. May 27, 2004. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  23. ^ "Alabama State Amphibian". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  24. ^ "State Fruit". Alabama Department of Archives and History. September 30, 2004. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  25. ^ "State Mammal". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 20, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  26. ^ "State Tree Fruit". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 20, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  27. ^ "Ivey OKs Naming Sweet Potato as Alabama's State Vegetable". usnews.com. April 17, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  28. ^ SB171 (PDF), The Alabama Legislature, retrieved 2021-04-20
  29. ^ Act of Alabama 2022-261, Alabama Secretary of State, retrieved 2022-04-08
  30. ^ Act of Alabama 2024-283, Alabama Secretary of State, retrieved 2024-08-28
  31. ^ "Official Alabama Mineral". Alabama Department of Archives and History. April 27, 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  32. ^ "Alabama Rock". Alabama Department of Archives and History. July 12, 2001. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  33. ^ "Official State of Alabama Fossil". Alabama Department of Archives and History. August 2, 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  34. ^ "Alabama Gemstone". Alabama Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  35. ^ "Alabama Soil:Bama Soil Series". Alabama Department of Archives and History. May 16, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  36. ^ "Official Alabama State Song". Alabama Department of Archives and History. March 29, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  37. ^ "Official American Folk Dance of Alabama". Alabama Department of Archives and History. July 12, 2001. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  38. ^ "Official Alabama Renaissance Faire". Alabama Department of Archives and History. October 11, 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  39. ^ "Official Alabama State Championship Horse Show". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 17, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  40. ^ "Official Alabama Outdoor Drama". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  41. ^ "Alabama Barbecue Championship". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  42. ^ "Alabama Agricultural Museum". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  43. ^ "Alabama Horseshoe Tournament". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  44. ^ "Alabama Historic Theatre". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  45. ^ "Alabama Official Outdoor Musical Drama". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  46. ^ "Alabama State Quilt". Alabama Department of Archives and History. November 15, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  47. ^ "State Spirit". Alabama Department of Archives and History. August 25, 2005. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  48. ^ "Section 1-2-41, State cake", Code of Alabama 1975, The Alabama Legislature, retrieved 2020-07-16
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