Information and history of the state of Virginia

In 1607 the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent New World English colony.The history of America is closely tied to that of Virginia, particularly during the Colonial period.

Virginia was one of the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution and joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War, during which Richmond was made the Confederate capital and Virginia's northwestern counties seceded to form the state of West Virginia.

The surrenders ending both the American Revolution and the Civil War occurred in Virginia. The state is called the “Mother of Presidents” because eight U.S. presidents were born there.

Some Virginia Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Dog	3. State Flower	4. State Fish	5. State Insect
6. State Tree	7. State Shell	8. State Fossil	9. State Beverage	10. State Bat

1. Cardinal - Virginia designated the northern cardinal as official state bird in 1950.
2. American Foxhound -Virginia designated the American foxhound as the official state dog in 1966. Known for a sweet, kind, loyal disposition, the American foxhound requires ample exercise.
3. Flowering Dogwood - Virginia designated the flowering dogwood as the official state floral emblem in 1918.
4. Brook Trout -Virginia designated brook trout as the official state cold-water fish in 1993.
5. Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly - Virginia designated the tiger swallowtail butterfly as the official state insect in 1991.
6. Flowering Dogwood - Virginia also designated the flowering dogwood as the official state tree.
7. Oyster - Virginia designated the oyster shell as the official state shell in 1974.
8. Chesapecten jeffersonius - Virginia designated Chesapecten jeffersonius (a scallop that lived during the Pliocene age) as the official state fossil in 1993.
9. Milk - Milk was recognized as the official state beverage of Virginia in 1982.
10. Virginia Big-Eared Bat - The Virginia big-eared bat was designated the official state bat of Virginia in 2005. An endangered species, this symbol helps to educate Virginians about caves and the creatures that inhabit them.

Did you know?

• Virginia is known as "the birthplace of a nation".
• President Thomas Jefferson designed his own home and called it Monticello.
• Patrick Henry made his "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" speech in St. John's Church in Richmond.
• Wild Ponies have roamed freely on Assateague Island for centuries.
• The first Thanksgiving in North America was held in Virginia in 1619.
• Union Passenger Railway was the first successful electric street railway transit agency. It was formed in 1888 at Richmond.