THE NAME: Kentucky comes from the Wyandot Indian name for "plain" in reference to the central plains of the state. Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994

THE NICKNAMES: The Bluegrass State: This common nickname for the Kentucky is given because of the vast expanses of Bluegrass across parts of the Commonwealth. Bluegrass is not really blue. It's green. In the spring, however, when seen from a distance, the blue-purple buds of Bluegrass lend a bluish tint to the landscape. The Hemp State: Hemp was one of the two most notable crops of Kentucky. This nickname originated based on the importance of this crop to the Commonwealth. The Tobacco State: Tobacco, the other notable Kentucky crop is the source of this nickname. At one time, about 2/3 of the national Tobacco crop was produced in Kentucky. The Corn-cracker State: This nickname may have originated as a reference to the poorer people living in the mountainous regions of the Commonwealth. Another theory has it that this nickname is derived from a crane that was common in Kentucky. This crane was said to make a "craking" sound and was called a Corn-crake. Some have proposed that "Corn-cracker" is a corruption of "Corn-crake." The Dark and Bloody Ground State: This nickname refers to the Indian battles, between Creek, Shawnee, Chickasaw, Cherokee and other tribes, that took place along the Cumberland River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Some have said that the land was described in this way to Daniel Boone by an Indian Chief. According to The Kentucky Blue Book, "Dragging Canoe, a young Cherokee chief opposed to selling ancestral hunting grounds, warned the whites that they were purchasing a “dark and bloody ground." Source: State of Kentucky, The Kentucky Bluebook, http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/online/bbonline.htm, 2001-2002 Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994 Shankle, George Earlie, Phd State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and Other Symbols H. H. Wilson Company, New York - 1938 (Reprint)

THE CITIZENS: People who live in or come from Kentucky are called Kentuckians.

THE QUARTER: On October 18, 2001 the Kentucky quarter was officially unveiled in front of "My Old Kentucky Home" in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Kentucky quarter is the fifteenth quarter to be released in the U.S. Mint's 50 State Quarter (TM) Program and the final quarter to be released in 2001. The quarter shows the Bardstown mansion, Federal Hill, built by Judge John Rowan in 1818. Federal Hill is commonly referred to as "My Old Kentucky Home". Tradition has it that Stephen Foster, Judge Rowan's cousin, wrote the official Kentucky song, My Old Kentucky Home while staying at Federal Hill. To the right of the stately mansion, an inscription on the coin reads "My Old Kentucky Home." In the foreground, a thoroughbred racehorse stands behind a plank fence. Kentucky is well know for its rolling Kentucky Bluegrass region, for horse breeding, and for its horse racing. In fact, Kentucky is home of the longest running annual horse race in the country, the Kentucky Derby. The thoroughbred is the official horse of Kentucky. For more on the state commemorative quarters, visit this page. This 50 State Quarter Map is a great way to collect and display all 50 State Quarters.