On August 31, National South Carolina Day recognizes The Palmetto State and her unique landscapes, bold personalities, and long history.
Catawbas and Cherokee were some of the first to greet Spanish and French explorers in the 16th century. Their tribes dotted the land with villages. The Englished established the first successful settlement near present-day Charleston. Named Carolina initially after King Charles I, the colony later split into North and South Carolina in 1710. Following in the footsteps of the previous colonies, South Carolina would become the eight state to ratify the constitution.
Though South Carolina may have been more removed from some of the Revolutionary concerns than states like Massachusetts and Connecticut, it hosted some pivotal, if seemingly small battles. They all begin with the hard-fought and devastating loss at Charles Town. What is now known as the Siege of Charleston, is the largest battle to ever take place in the state. Not even Civil War battles compare. While the British claimed the city and some 5,000 prisoners, the course was set for victories to the west at Cowpens and King’s Mountain.
Slavery and the Civil War play a significant role in South Carolina’s complex social, political and economic profile. Much of the beauty of South Carolina is reflected in their soulful music and emotive art expressing the voices of generations.
Harleston Green in Charleston established the first golf club in the United States in 1786.
With 187 miles of Atlantic coastline, South Carolina is more than ideal for a beach getaway. With idyllic oceanfront towns, historical tours, delicious seafood, and golf there is a little bit of adventure for everyone.
Explore all of South Carolina’s beauty, culture, and history on August 31. Join us as we celebrate South Carolina’s hospitality, stunning landscapes, and dynamic people.
Use #NationalSouthCarolinaDay to share on social media.
Notable People
Francis Marion – Revolutionary – (1732 – February 27, 1795)
South Carolinians and southerners in particular like their iced tea. Finding a good sweet tea anywhere else in the country can be a challenge.
Another South Carolina feast is a Beaufort Stew. Also known as a Lowcountry Boil, this simple but flavorful dish combines shrimp, corn on the cob, sausage, and potatoes. Once boiled, the entire meal is served on a paper-covered table. Invite the whole family over and dive in for all the deliciousness!
Get one of the ultimate comfort foods in South Carolina. The Palmetto State specializes in baking macaroni and cheese that’s especially comforting and cheesy.
Black-eyed peas served with rice and bacon is transformed into a dish known as Hoppin’ John. In the South, Black-eyed peas are said to bring good luck when eaten on New Year’s Day.
The Southern delicacy of Pimento Cheese finds its way into high-class events or lazy afternoon picnics. It’s referred to as “Carolina caviar” and can be a garnish or a dip.
The 13th colony and the 4th state to enter the Union, National Georgia Day recognizes the natural wonders and immense complexities of this bastion of Southern culture.
Georgia’s founder, James Oglethorpe, settled the colony’s first capital, Savannah. Georgia would go on to have four more capitals, Augusta, Louisville, Milledgeville and finally, Atlanta
Politically and socially, a divide has always seemed to exist. Considering Georgia was initially established as a barrier of fortification between South Carolina’s southern border and the Spanish settled in Florida, perhaps Georgia lived up to destiny.
Official Symbols
State Capital – Atlanta State Nickname – Peach State State Motto – Wisdom, Justice & Moderation State Slogan – Georgia on my mind State Bird – Brown Thrasher State Amphibian – Green Tree Frog State Crop – Peanut State Flower – Cherokee Rose State Tree – Live Oak State Fish – Largemouth Bass State Fruit – Peach State Fossil – Shark Tooth State Insect – Honey Bee
To Sign or Not to Sign
Georgia initially prohibited slavery in 1735. Of the 13 original colonies, she was the only one to do so. The prohibition lasted 15 years. Leading up the Revolution, Georgia leaned toward supporting the crown and was the single colony not in attendance at the First Continental Congress.
During the Second Continental Congress, Georgia first sent one delegate, Lyman Hall. However, Hall didn’t vote because he only represented a single parish in Georgia. The colony later sent Button Gwinnett and George Walton as official delegates. All three signed the Declaration of Independence.
Wars were destructive for Georgia. Her people and the economy suffered, and the resistance to social change persisted.
During the 20th century, industrial and technological advancements found a niche in Georgia’s economy. A hub for airlines, military bases and international corporations, Georgia rebounded once more.
When it comes to Georgia, words that come to mind include home-cookin’ and comfort food. Don’t be surprised by the serving size, the number of fried foods or desserts. Two things are certain, they’re made from the heart, and they are delicious!
Just about anything can be fried, including okra, green tomatoes, chicken, seafood and Vidalia onions. Since 1986, those sweet onions grow in Vidalia and 20 Georgia counties, and nowhere else by Geogia law.
Peaches are to Georgia like sunshine is summer. Take a bite out a ripe one and let the juice run down your chin. Or, enjoy all the wonderful peach pastries or canned peaches Georgia has to offer. From pies to jellies, there are so many ways to bring the flavor of Georgia home with you.
Grab a Coca-Cola and some boiled peanuts to enjoy the summer weather. Georgia is home to Coca-Cola and enjoying salty peanuts go back to the Civil War era.
Overall, Georgia’s history is fertile for inspiration. Alongside the peach orchards and cotton fields surge crops of masterful artists,musicians, writers, and poets. Their experiences with the beauty, history, and humanity of Georgia fill the eyes and ears with more than can be appreciated in one visit.
National Soul Food Month in June is steeped in tradition, tracing its heritage back generations.
While soul food and southern cooking may often be compared, African-American slaves developed soul food’s distinct character by creating outstanding meals from less-than-desirable cuts of meat and produce. Whether the meal consisted of fried meats and vegetables or bbq and baked goods, the meals served to nourish the body and the fellowship that accompanied it nourished the soul.
According to culinaryhistorians.org, the term “soul food” made its appearance and became popular in the 1960s, giving a name to the flavorful foods, often fried in pork fat, that were becoming known in kitchens and restaurants in cities across the country.
However, soul food doesn’t have to laden with fat. Fresh from the southern garden, it can be just as flavorful as it can be light. Many of the old recipes are new again with spices and herbs and pinches of the old traditions.
HISTORY
Charla Draper founded National Soul Food Month in 2001 to celebrate the rich history of soul food.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Take a tour through soul food heritage. Graze the flavors and spices of the heritage. Have a conversation while you’re at it and feed your soul. Listen to the history of the food, where it’s traveled, how it’s changed through the years. Use #NationalSoulFoodMonth to share your favorites on social media. Visit culinaryhistorians.org to learn more.
On December 14th, National Alabama Day recognizes the Heart of Dixie.
The 22nd state to join the union, Alabama has played pivotal roles in U.S. history, scientific advancements and its magnificent landscapes attract visitors from far and wide.
Alabama enjoys 60 miles of shoreline along the Gulf Coast. While the coastal region is dotted with swamps and bayous, it also includes beautiful sandy beaches. Move northward from the coast, and the lowlands provide the fertile soils of the Black Belt, land that long yielded productive cotton crops. The Northern half of the state is dominated by the forested hills and valleys of the Appalachians.
As the original capital of the Confederacy until May of 1861 during the American Civil War, the small town of Montgomery set the stage for the secessionist government. Nearly 100 years later, the Civil Rights Movement would find a home and erupt across the state marching its vision to the rest of the country.
Official Alabama
State Capital – Montgomey State Nickname – The Yellowhammer State, State Motto – We Dare Defend our Rights State Bird – Northern Flicker State Game Bird – Eastern Wild Turkey State Amphibian – Red Hills Salamander State Flower – Camellia State Fish – Large Mouth Bass State Crustacean – Brown Shrimp State Fruit – Peach State Fossil – Basilosaurus cetoides State Mineral – Hematite State Tree – Southern Longleaf Pine State Song – Alabama State Quilt – Pine Burr Quilt
Agriculture, Military and Meat & Three
Bringing diversity to agriculture at a time when the boll weevil was wreaking havoc on cotton crops, George Washington Carver provided the opportunity for successful planting and harvesting of a legume that continues to be popular not only in the south but across the United States. The peanut brought new farming methods and agricultural stability to a suffering southern industry.
Home of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group, the first African American military aviators, the science team that helped put man on the moon, and the first African American woman in space, Alabama is another state that keeps looking to the sky.
In Alabama, and all across Southern states, the meat and three will fill you up with more satisfying comfort food than you can find anywhere other than your mother’s kitchen. The restaurant style includes a mouth-watering homemade meat of your choosing – crispy fried chicken, juicy sweet ham or tender roast beef – and then a selection of three sides. A roll and dessert are usually included as well. All this is served in a relaxed, downhome atmosphere.
Alabama Flavor
Fried Catfish Shrimp Grits Boiled Peanuts Fried Okra Fried Pickles Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy Peach Cobbler Pecan Pie Banana Pudding
For a complete list of Illinois State and National Parks & Historic Sites visit www.alapark.com and www.nps.gov. Check out a few of the featured sites around the state below.
Explore Alabama’s rich history and remarkable landscapes. Get to know their people, culture and uncover the hidden places of Alabama! Use #NationalAlabamaDay to share on social media.
On November 30th, National Mississippi Day recognizes the home of the Delta blues and the 20th state to join the union.
How did you learn to spell Mississippi? Was it the M-I crooked letter-crooked letter-I-crooked letter-crooked letter-I-humpback-humpback-I rhyme? Or did you keep track of the seconds by counting one Mississippi, two Mississippi? If you did, you’re not alone. Millions around the country recall doing this and other similar word associations with the name Mississippi!
The Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico along the western boundary of the state and derives its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi which means “Great River.”
It was along the Mississippi Delta that the blues developed in the middle to late 19th century. Within a few decades, blues music would slowly grow in many ways creating a crop of musicians and variety of new genres.
Official Mississippi
State Capital – Jackson
State Nickname – Magnolia State
State Motto – Vitute et armis
State Bird – Mockingbird
State Toy – Teddy Bear
State Flower – Magnolia
State Wildflower – Coreopsis
State Reptile – American Alligator
State Cookie – Butter Cookie
State Stone – Petrified Wood
State Shell – Oyster Shell
State Tree – Southern Magnolia
State Song – Go, Mississippi
State Butterfly – Spicebush Swallowtail
Civil Rights
Both the American Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s were uncertain, turbulent and violent times for Mississippi. Even though the Civil War brought about freedom for enslaved people, that was more than half of Mississippi’s population and the economy had been ruined.
Nearly 100 years later circumstances had not much improved when Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. ignited the movement that would bring voices and faces to the story.
Natchez Trace
One of the most prolific features of the state is the Natchez Trace. In existence for thousands of years, this ancient pathway was beaten down by the hooves of bison. Hunting and gathering mound builders later used the path which became an ideal road for transporting goods. Today, it’s both a 444-mile scenic parkway and natural timeline through the history of three states (Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama).
There are many fun and fascinating tidbits about Mississippi to explore. For example, did you know while hunting in Sharkey County, President Roosevelt came upon a bear he refused to shoot which is how we came to have the teddy bear today.
For a complete list of Mississippi State and National Parks & Historic Sites visit mississippistateparks.reserveamerica.com and www.nps.gov. Check out a few of the featured sites around the state below. Mississippi State Parks
Join us for a trip through Mississippi’s historic places and discover her untold stories. Listen to America’s music while traveling all the highways and byways on National Mississippi Day! Use #NationalMississippiDay to share on social media.
