Gimme That Old Time Virginny!

   

Lydia over at Renewed Day by Day recently wrote a meme detailing ten interesting facts about her home state of Kansas. She tagged the Mountain Musings gang to write about our state: Virginia. Since this is Thursday and since Virginia has even more than ten things that make her a wonderful state, we decided to make this our Thursday Thirteen post. :)

1) Virginia, the 10th of the original 13 colonies, was named for the "virgin queen" of England, Queen Elizabeth I. Virginia's nickname is the "Old Dominion." Jonathan attends Old Dominion University--but not in Norfolk where it's located but here at home through online classes.

2) Virginia is often referred to as the "Mother of Presidents." Eight presidents have been born in Virginia: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. We have visited seven of the eight Presidents' homes during our homeschooling years--lots of history here!

3) Virginia is also known as the "Mother of States." From the Virginia territory, all or part of eight states were created: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. So if any of you readers are from the above mentioned states, count yourself blessed to have once been a part of Virginia! :)

4) The state motto is "Sic semper tyrannis" which means "thus always to tyrants." John Wilkes Booth leaped off the balcony and onto the stage and shouted these words after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln.

5) Over 1/2 of the battles fought in the Civil War were fought in Virginia--over 2,200 of the 4,000. The Girotti females are almost certain that at one time or another they've been on every one of the 2,200; for some reason, the Girotti males are entranced with battlefields!

6) Williamsburg's newspaper, The Virginia Gazette, has been publishing since 1736. It is American's oldest non-daily paper. Williamsburg was also the setting for the first theater in the United States in 1716.

7) The First Permanent English Colony was founded in Jamestown in 1607, and the 400th Anniversary will take place there this year. (Does anyone plan to go? Does anyone want to visit us while you're in our lovely state? We're only 3+ hours from Jamestown.) Twelve years after the founding, Virginia's Berkeley Plantation was the site of the First Thanksgiving in America in 1619.

8) Seeing as Micah is studying to be a doctor, this interesting fact stood out to us. The nation's first rescue squad, the Roanoke Life Saving and First Aid Crew, was founded in 1928 in Roanoke, Virginia. At the age of 9, Julian Stanley Wise saw two men drown and resolved to become a life saver. His story and the history of emergency medical services (EMS) are told at the To The Rescue Museum.

9) Are you familiar with the Pony Penning on Chincoteague Island? Wild ponies have roamed free there for centuries. Penning was an annual event in the 1700's. In 1946 Marguerite Henry wrote Misty of Chincoteague and made Pony Penning internationally famous. Tom and I spent part of our honeymoon on Chincoteague Island in 1980, but we don't remember seeing any of the famous ponies.

10) With a vertical drop of 1,200 feet in one-half mile, Crabtree Falls (which all of us hiked but Mom) is the state's highest cascading waterfall. These falls were often mentioned on the 1970's television program, The Waltons', which was set in Virginia.

11) The state song that Deb grew up learning and singing in grade school, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," was retired in 1997 because some people found the lyrics racially offensive. One suggestion for a replacement was "Shenandoah," but some people say that this song doesn't even mention Virginia but instead mentions Missouri! Another argument: Shenandoah is only one region (although we at Mountain Musings feel it's the best region!), and the state song should logically include the whole commonwealth. So we don't have a state song until a new one is picked.

12) Hymns in Virginia: Singers Glen near Harrisonburg is the birthplace of Southern gospel music. In 1832 Joseph Funk opened a Mennonite Publishing House and printed Genuine Church Music, the country's oldest hymnal still in use.

13) Virginia's famous bumper sticker and slogan, "Virginia is for Lovers" was adopted in 1969. If you're a lover of mountains and valleys, museums and history, and living life at its best, then Virginia is a wonderful state to be! We've lived in six Virginia cities over the years: Hampton, Newport News, Richmond, Charlottesville, Williamsburg, and currently the Shenandoah Valley.  We're very thankful to have experienced many areas of our great state!

Susan, An Old-Fashioned Girl, was tagged and has her Georgia facts posted. Keep checking for The Serven Clan's posting...a California family who moved to Missouri last year. We're wondering which state they will pick! If anyone else would like to participate, please do! We'd love to read facts about your state!

~The Mountain Musings Gang

Comments

[Tammy]

Neat facts to know about the state that was married in.It is funny that I lived in Virginia for 3 years in the military and 5 years single but never married. 6 cities in the same state is cool-only Tom has ever had to get a new drivers license and that was what about 28 years ago?

Couple facts about our latest state to live(do they have state of confusion):
Pepsi was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898.

Andrew Johnson started his career as a tailor's apprentice in Raleigh

The first English child born in America was born in Roanoke in 1587. Her name was Virginia Dare

By thw way I was born in Rhode Island-smallest state in the union.

[Susan]

How interesting! Virginia is definitely one of the most historically-rich states :-). I've never been there, but Lord willing, I'll be there next weekend! I won't have time to search y'all out, or I would :-(. I'm going to be visiting Adrian in Blacksburg :-D.

I loved the Chincoteague books! I didn't realize the island was in Virginia. I've always wanted to visit Jamestown. Maybe someday!

[Nicholas Cardot]

I have a friend whose first and middle name is Virginia Elizabeth. Several years ago, shortly after we just met, I told her that the state of Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth and she was quite amused. She went home and told her parents assuming that they probably knew that. They didn't. They all learned something knew that day. And here she was with both names as her own. Virginia Elizabeth.

[Lydia]

Thanks for sharing with us about "Old Virginny." It was very informative. Great idea to post about it for your "Thursday Thirteen" theme.

I'm looking forward to The Serven Clan's sharing about their state too! Any guesses on which state they will choose?

Have a wonderful day!

[Dorothy]

That made me homesick for Old Virginny this morning! Mississippi is very different from there! Don't know much about the state yet except: it is very flat; there are mostly pine trees where we are; it is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina (devastation is still easily seen); "No Swimming" signs are still posted at the Biloxi beach; the live oak trees are incredibly large...one supposed to be over 2000 years old is in Biloxi; Keesler Air Force Base is here; there are fire ant hills everywhere and they hurt! We hope to explore this southern state over the next 3+ years.

[Randi]

We just happen to be reading about Jametown this week! I think it would be awesome to attend the anniversary. We will going to PA this year to visit my dad so I will have to check into that for sure!

[Debi]

How neat to live among the deep historical roots of Virginia...our family visited Chincoteague years ago, rented bicycles and rode the island...we did get to see the wild horses. It was very exciting. But just exciting to us was getting close to the fawns and does that came up to the path as we rode. We are from a concrete city, no daily country life experience for us, so we thought it was wonderful!

[Cindi]

Oh Crabtree Falls is one of our favorite places. The secret to hiking it is to have two cars with you! You park one down bottom and then drive up top and park and hike DOWN! I have hiked up it, but it's a killer. My Daddy grew up in Schyler and knew the Hamners also!

[Cindi]

I just went to read the one about Kansas since that is one of the states my husband spent most of his life, his parents still live there. It reminded me that Dwight's wife was born in Staunton!

[Elise]

My husband and I talk often about our desire to visit Virginia - we are both history lovers!
Thanks for sharing about your lovely state!