Thursday, January 2, 2014

Georgia: Georgia On My Mind

This Day in History: January 2, 1788

Georgia, the Peach State,
aka Empire State of the South

Ripe peach on the tree - photo by Tobias Maschler on Wikipedia, published
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license, Ver. 1.2 or later.

The nickname for Georgia is The Peach State. Georgia-grown peaches are recognized for their superior flavor, texture, appearance and nutritious qualities. Georgia also designated the peach as the official state fruit in 1995. The state motto of Geogia is Wisdom Justice Moderation and appears on the state seal and Georgia's state quarter.

http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/series/701/aerial-america/137713/georgia

Aerial America: Georgia

Where the Appalachian Mountains end and a great Civil Rights leader's life began, Georgia is a state rich in natural wonders and history. This aerial tour of the Empire State of the South offers views of Atlanta's skyline, Augusta's legendary golf course, and the rugged barrier island coastline. From the South's most beloved piece of literature to the United State's "most haunted cemetery," this is Georgia, as you've never seen it before.

Georgia was the last of the original Thirteen Colonies being established in 1732 and named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the 4th state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788. Atlanta became the capital of Georgia in 1868. Prior to that date Georgia had previous capitals, including Savannah and Augusta. The first capital of Georgia was Savannah in 1777, which was followed by Augusta in 1779. During the Civil War, the fall of Atlanta was a crucial turning point in the defeat of the South. Today, Atlanta is a thriving city with major national corporations, and it is considered the economic and cultural center of the Southeast.

[The thirteen colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence Plantations]

Georgia is a state in the southeastern United States.

Georgia State Flag
Georgia designated a new state flag in 2003.
Based on the national flag of the Confederacy, it has three bars of equal width -
two outer red bars and a center white.
There is a square blue canton the width of two bars in the upper left corner.

Georgia Great Seal

A Brown Thrasher, Georgia's state bird in High Island, Texas
Photo Credit: en.encyclopedia.org

Brown Thrashers are exuberant singers,
with one of the largest repertoires of any North American songbird.

Rosa laevigata, Cherokee Rose the state flower of Georgia.
Photo Credit: en.encyclopedia.org

Georgia State Marine Mammal: Right Whale

Georgia designated the right whale as official state marine mammal in 1985. Georgia's coastal waters are a calving area for the right whale, and it's the only great whale native to Georgia waters.

For all State Symbols of Georgia click HERE!

Georgia State Folk Dance: Square Dance

Georgia designated the square dance as the official state folk dance in 1996. Twenty-two states have passed legislation to declare the square dance as the state folk dance and more than thirty bills have been introduced at the federal level proposing the square dance as the national (folk) dance of the United States.

Ray Charles' version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind"
was named the official state song of Georgia in 1979.

According to the hit movie Ray, Charles was banned from performing in Georgia in 1961, following his refusal to play to a white-only audience. Mr. Charles was never banned from performing in his home state of Georgia. In 1979 the General Assembly did welcome him. He sang the classic Hoagy Carmichel song "Georgia." Source: Our Georgia History

A Local Legacy...

Swamp Gravy
Georgia's Official Folk-Life Play

Swamp Gravy is Georgia's official folk-life play. It is a community project that has contributed to emotional and economic healing in its community, Colquitt, Georgia.

Embrace the Past...

Savannah’s Secrets

With the old South comes an eerie presence of ghostly secrets. Perhaps it is the historical landmarks or the spine-chilling tales passed down from generation to generation. Restoration of its past greatly influences its preservation.

Spanish moss hanging from oak trees in Savannah, Ga.

Credit: William Manning/Corbis

Moss-laden, massive oaks
Cast somber shadows
Amid darkness and light

Sunshine, moonbeams, starlight
Penetrate the lofty canopies
During the day, through the night

What secrets lay undisturbed
Hidden beneath its green boughs?
Intrigue, murder, mystery
Doeth Savannah’s secrets house

Restless spirits and aimless souls
Expel a ghostly resonance
Across mortar and cobblestone

Whispers from out of the past
Echo around the town squares
As wagon wheels creak and groan

What new-found discoveries await
Disturbance of events once laid to rest?
Unanswered questions that resurface
Need not once again be put through life’s test